Isotachophoresis

Isotachophoresis (ITP) performs in a discontinuous buffer system containing leading and trailing electrolytes. The leading electrolyte (LE) has more mobility than the fastest sample and the trailing electrolyte (TE) has lesser mobility than the slowest sample. The application of a strong electric field results in a low electrical field in the leading electrolyte and a high electrical field in the terminating electrolyte, so analyte ions around the leading electrolyte zone migrate faster while analyte ions around the trailing electrolyte migrate slower. As a result, analyte ions migrate at nearly equal rates and are compressed between zones in the order of mobilities to achieve separation.

Fig.1 Illustration of isotachophoresis

• Preparation
  Prepare the leading electrolyte buffer solution and trailing electrolyte buffer solution with a certain pH. Add an appropriate amount of leading electrolyte buffer to the positive electrophoresis tank and trailing electrolyte buffer to the negative electrophoresis tank to soak the platinum electrode. Pretreat the sample for better separation.
• Sample Application
  Inject a certain amount of sample solution in the leading and trailing electrolyte buffer system with micro syringes.
• Electrophoresis
  Switch on the electrophoresis apparatus and set the voltage and current. Perform electrophoresis for a period of time.
• Determination
  Carry out qualitative and quantitative analysis of the separation. For example, measure the time each band passes through the conductivity detector to determine the conductivity of sample ions in each band relative to the leading ions.

• Less time consumption
• Low running cost
• Low chemicals and consumables required
• Minimum sample preparation without sample pretreatment
• Simple experiment design and process
• High reproducibility
• Diffusion prevented by the electric fields generated by the leading and trailing electrolytes
• Applicable for a wide range of samples

• Quantitative and qualitative analysis of ionic species
• Separation of inorganic substances and proteins
• Analysis of proteins, vitamins and food additives
• Analysis of inorganic ions in amino acids, proteins and water
• Analysis of anions in serum and union
• Analysis of organic acids in silage

Electrophoresis Systems

An electrophoresis system applies an electric charge to molecules, causing them to migrate toward their oppositely charged electrode. It’s the device for electrophoresis performing and is usually divided into horizontal type and suspension type. The choice of electrophoresis systems depends on the molecule of study, the method of separation and the downstream application.

Electrophoresis Accessories

We provide comprehensive electrophoresis accessories including electrophoresis power supplies, combs, UV blocking mats, exposure cassettes, gel cutting tools, short plates, spacer plates, and so on, for gel preparation and electrophoresis performance in electrophoresis experiments.

pH Meters

A pH meter is an instrument used to determine the pH value of a solution, utilizing the relationship between the electromotive force of the galvanic cell and the hydrogen ion concentration. A pH meter is used to determine the pH value of buffers in electrophoresis experiments. The temperature and ionic strength should be considered in pH measurement.

Micro Sample Syringes

We provide Micro Sample Syringes with a variety of volumes and high accuracy to help you achieve fast and accurate sampling in electrophoresis experiments.

STEMart provides you with a variety of electrophoresis equipment or consumables to meet your various R&D and application needs. If you have any questions or requirements for isotachophoresis, please feel free to contact us.