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miniPCR bio TM Dye Electrophoresis Lab: Molecular Rainbow - Student's Guide Version: 1.0 - Release: April 2022 - © 2022 by miniPCR bio™ Student's Guide P./12 Glossary Gel electrophoresis: A method used to separate molecules by size and charge. During gel electrophoresis, an electric force is used to move molecules through a gel in a direction dictated by their net electrical charge. The gel acts as a size filter; smaller molecules move more easily through the gel and travel further than larger molecules. This allows scientists to separate molecules of different sizes. Agarose gel: A type of gel commonly used for gel electrophoresis. Agarose is a sugar from seaweed. At the microscopic level, the inside of an agarose gel looks like a web or a sponge. Small molecules can move through the holes with relative ease, but larger molecules get slowed down. This allows scientists to separate molecules of different sizes. Well: A pocket in a gel where samples are placed at the start of a gel electrophoresis experiment. When making a gel, a mold called a comb is used to create pockets called wells. Samples can be placed into these wells. Then, when an electric force is applied, the molecules in the sample will move through the gel and travel towards the oppositely charged electrode. Electrode: A conductor that is used to establish a current through an object or material. During a gel electrophoresis experiment, an electrical current is used to move charged molecules through the gel. Metal wires or bars are placed on either end of the gel and connected to a power source. These wires serve as negative and positive electrodes that drive the flow of electricity through the gel. Electrophoresis buffer: A solution used to conduct electricity between the electrodes during gel electrophoresis. During a gel electrophoresis experiment, charged molecules that are put in a well will move towards the electrode that has an opposite charge. The gel is covered in a salty liquid that conducts electricity between the electrodes and through the gel. Lane: The straight line through which molecules travel through a gel. During a gel electrophoresis experiment, charged molecules that are put in a well will move towards the electrode that has an opposite charge. As they move through the gel, molecules travel in a straight line that is the same width as the well. This area is referred to as a lane. Band: A visible group of molecules that traveled together through a gel. During a gel electrophoresis experiment, the molecules in a sample move through the gel towards an electrode with the opposite charge. All of the molecules that have the same charge and size will move through the gel in the same direction and at the same speed. The molecules will stay in about the same shape as the well they started in. When you look at the gel, the group of molecules will look like a small horizontal line, or band, on the gel.

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