Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Is there a difference between Agarose LE (Benchmark Scinetific A1700 Organic Solvent Free Agarose LE) versus Certified Molecular Biology Agarose. My student is going to make the electrophoresis chamber and we went to buy the Agarose and wondered if there is a difference in what you reference in your experiment and the LE? Will the LE work (we can buy that from Amazon)? Thanks!

Hi! This sounds like an awesome project. If you are adhering to the materials list that Science Buddies has generated for this project, then it would probably be easier to purchase the STEM electrophoresis kit from Bio-Rad Laboratories. This kit includes the Agarose gel and other materials needed to complete this experiment. However, if you were planning on purchasing each material separately, then you would be safe using either one (Agarose or Agarose LE.) Agarose gel can have high gel strength at low concentration, making it suitable as an anticonvection medium for gel electrophoresis. Agarose LE (low electroendosmosis) is therefore generally preferred for this type of experiment.

Good luck!
Trystan