Agarose composition, aqueous gel and method of making same

Claim 1

A dry solid composition capable of forming an aqueous gel free from electroendosmosis and suitable for use as a medium for isoelectric focusing, said composition consisting essentially of a blend of purified agarose having an electroendosmosis value (-Mr) less than 0.10 in an amount from 2 to 99% by weight and a gum soluble in boiling water without gelling, said gum being free from hull fragments and other impurities interfering with staining, free from charged groups and stable against hydrolysis which forms charged groups, and soluble by itself in water to form a solution of gum having a viscosity at a concentration no greater than 10% by weight of at least 10 cps at 25° C., said gum being clarified locust bean gum, clarified guar gum, polyvinyl alcohol or dextran.

Claim 9

The method of making an aqueous gel free from electroendosmosis which comprises dissolving in water at elevated temperature (1) purified agarose having an electroendosmosis (-Mr) value no greater than 0.10 and (2) a water-soluble gum free from hull fragments and other impurities interfering with staining, free from charged groups, and soluble by itself in boiling water without gelling to form a solution having a viscosity at a concentration no greater than 10% by weight of at least 10 cps at 25° C., said gum being clarified locust bean gum, clarified guar gum, polyvinyl alcohol or dextran, the amount of the total of said agarose and said gum being from 0.2 to 10% by weight of the water, the amount of agarose being from 2 to 99% by weight of said total, and the amount of said gum being sufficient to form, in the absence of said agarose, a solution in said water having a viscosity of at least 10 cps at 25° C., and allowing the solution to cool to form a gel.

Claim 10

The method of making an aqueous gel free from electroendosmosis which comprises dissolving in water at elevated temperature (1) purified agarose having an electroendosmosis (-Mr) value no greater than 0.10 and (2) a water-soluble gum free from hull fragments and other impurities interfering with staining, free from charged groups, and soluble by itself in boiling water without gelling to form a solution having a viscosity at a concentration no greater than 10% by weight of at least 10 cps at 25° C., said gum being clarified locust bean gum, clarified guar gum, polyvinyl alcohol or dextran, the amount of the total of said agarose and said gum being from 0.2 to 10% by weight of the water, the amount of agarose being from 2 to 99% by weight of said total, and the amount of said gum being sufficient to form, in the absence of said agarose, a solution in said water having a viscosity of at least 10 cps at 25° C., and allowing the solution to cool to form a gel.