Capillary Electrophoresis Tutorial
According to the National Forensic Science Technology Center, capillary electrophoresis has been a validated form of forensic analysis since the mid-1990s. The technique has numerous applications for forensic, medical and scientific research.
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Identification
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Capillary electrophoresis is a method for separating compounds or materials for medical or scientific analysis. The capillary tube is immersed in a vial, filled with an electrolyte solution and sample, and then the ions within the sample undergo forensic analysis.
History
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Capillary electrophoresis was first utilized by two scientists in 1981 named Jorgenson and Lukacs. They demonstrated the potential of capillary electrophoresis by utilizing glass capillary columns to separate charged particles in their research.
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Potential
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Previous electrophoresis techniques only operated safely at low voltages. However, capillary tubes used in capillary electrophoresis have a high surface-to-volume ratio, which can operate at higher temperatures without burning the samples.
Benefits
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Capillary electrophoresis has a relatively easy operating process and results can be expected within a short analysis period. The technique is highly efficient and sample consumption is kept remarkably low.
Considerations
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Capillary electrophoresis is a much faster form of biological analysis. However, the biology department of Davidson College warns that matrix within the capillary should be replaced after each separation to minimize sample contamination.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit tubes de laboratoire image by Danielle Bonardelle from Fotolia.com
