High Performance Capillary Electrophoresis in the Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory

该项目将引入几个重要的生物分析分离到跨部门本科生物化学实验室的经验。目前，学生们正在使用薄层色谱、聚丙烯酰胺和琼脂糖凝胶电泳、离子交换树脂等经典方法分离生物分子。这些方法有助于说明分离原理；然而，结果充其量是定性的。已经确定了一种技术，高性能毛细管电泳（HPCE），它似乎具有多功能性，快速和简单性，需要整合到我们现有的五个实验中，重点是氨基酸，蛋白质和核酸的分离，鉴定和定量。由教师指导的生物化学、生物学和化学的本科生研究项目也将采用HPCE系统。

The project will introduce several significant bioanalytical separations into the interdepartmental undergraduate biochemistry laboratory experience. At present, students are separating biomolecules using classical methods such as thin layer chromatography, polyacrylamide and agarose gel electrophoresis, and ion exchange resins. These methods are useful in illustration of the separation principles; however, the results are, at best, qualitative. A technology has been identified, high performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE), which appears to have the versatility, quickness, and simplicity required for integration into five of our existing experiments that focus on separation, identification, and quantitation of amino acids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Faculty-supervised undergraduate research projects in biochemistry, biology, and chemistry will also employ the HPCE system.