Thin Layer Electrophoresis

Thin layer electrophoresis involves the carrying out electrophoresis in a thin layer of silica or alumina for the separation of amino acids and peptides. Thin layer electrophoresis apparatus consists of a power supply and a tank with an integral partition. It has the advantage over paper electrophoresis, that interfering adsorption effects can often be avoided through appropriate choice of adsorbent. In addition, the more uniform and finer structure of the adsorbent used for thin-layer electrophoresis, compared with filter paper, sometimes leads to better resolution. Thin layer electrophoresis appears to be a very convenient method for a preliminary rapid analysis. This method is especially useful for illustrating the principle of molecular charge to students at the high school and undergraduate levels.