Ibrahim Usman

INTRODUCTION Gel filtration chromatography (some times referred to as molecular sieve chromatography) is a method that separates molecules according to their size and shape. The separation of the components in the sample mixture, with some exceptions, correlates with their molecular weights. In these cases, gel filtration can be used as an analytical method to determine the molecular weight of an uncharacterized molecule. Gel filtration is also an important preparative technique since it is often a chromatographic step in the purification of proteins, polysaccharides and nucleic acids. Gel filtration chromatography is a separation based on size. It is also called molecular exclusion or gel permeation chromatography. In gel filtration chromatography, the stationary phase consists of porous beads with a well-defined range of pore sizes. The stationary phase for gel filtration is said to have a fractionation range, meaning that molecules within that molecular weight range can be separated...