Electrophoretic

Electrophoretic is an adjective relating to electrophoresis, a process in which charged particles move through a medium under the influence of an electric field. The term is used to describe phenomena, methods, or measurements involving this motion, including separations, analyses, or depositions of colloids, biomolecules, and other charged species.

In electrophoresis, the electric force acting on a particle equals its net charge times the electric field, producing a velocity proportional to mobility. The mobility depends on particle size and charge, as well as the properties of the medium, such as viscosity and ionic strength. Electroosmotic flow, arising from charged surfaces, can influence overall migration and separation quality.

Common electrophoretic methods include gel electrophoresis, where samples migrate through a gel matrix; agarose for nucleic acids and polyacrylamide for proteins. Capillary electrophoresis uses narrow capillaries for high-resolution separations. Other techniques include two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and electrophoretic deposition, which uses electric fields to coat surfaces with particles.

Applications span molecular biology, biochemistry, clinical diagnostics, forensic science, and materials science. Electrophoretic techniques enable DNA fragment analysis, protein profiling, and rapid separation of complex mixtures, while electrophoretic deposition is used in coatings and printed electronics.

The development of electrophoresis is associated with Arne Tiselius, who introduced moving-boundary electrophoresis in the 1930s and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1948 for his work on electrophoresis and related techniques.