How to prepare a 3.5% agarose gel ?

[itamo]

How to prepare a 3.5% agarose gel ?

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Post by itamo » Mon Feb 11, 2013 1:32 pm

I tried a prepare a 3.5% agarose gel for electrophoresis, i tried to cook it on a hot plate with a rotating magnet, but there were alot of bubbles in the gel.

Is there a way to prepare a high concentration gel without the annoying bubbles?

[JackBean]

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Post by JackBean » Mon Feb 11, 2013 2:57 pm

quickly heat in microwave for short periods of time with mixing in between

[itamo]

How to make high concentration agarose gel

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Post by itamo » Tue Feb 12, 2013 6:43 am

Thanks.

Do you cover the flask to avoid evaporation ?
If you do, with what ?
Did you tried it yourself?
How many cycles of heating and swirling did you do?

[JackBean]

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Post by JackBean » Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:10 am

I usually do it in the bottle with cap and I keep it on (just not tighten it firmly). As long as it is not properly dissolved.
I'm usually working with 1% agarose, but I think I have prepared also 4% in this way.

[itamo]

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Post by itamo » Sun Feb 17, 2013 5:21 am

I cooked it on a hot plate on low temp with a stirring magnet and in the end put it in a microwave oven on low-medium for a couple of soconds a few times to get rid of the bubbles. and after getting a clear solution i added the atidium bromide.
worked great.