Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the zone electrophoresis of carbohydrates. In zone electrophoresis, the conducting solution and the migrating substances are supported on a solid matrix. By means of this device, convection effects are effectively eliminated; diffusion effects are, in general, counterbalanced by the high mobilities of the migrating substances attendant on the application of high voltage gradients; and it is usual for the components of a mixture to be separated into discrete zones. Location of the zones on the supporting matrix may be accomplished by making use of specific chemical reactions or physical properties of the migrating substances. The molecular weight of the migrating substance in zone electrophoresis is not necessarily so critical a factor as often is the case in boundary electrophoresis. In fact, zone electrophoresis has been successfully applied to mono-, oligo-, and poly-saccharides and to an analogous range of molecules in the protein field. In the realm of carbohydrates, the majority of investigations have been concerned with mono- and oligo-saccharides. The supporting matrix most commonly used in zone electrophoresis is filter paper, although such other substances as starch, silica, powdered glass, silica gel, and even single cellulose fibers, have found some application, and may be more advantageous than paper in certain cases.

Zone electrophoresis of carbohydrates.

Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography of neutral solutes with micelles of adjustable surface charge density

Guar gum is a galactomannan that assumes a very flexible conformation in solution, while Scleroglucan is a very rigid polysaccharide that dissolves in water as triple helices. Both polymers can form gels in the presence of borax. Despite their structural differences, the freeze-dried gel systems of both polymers, when compressed to form tablets, show a peculiar anisotropic swelling in water that reflects an amazing similarity in terms of their molecular properies. In this paper the behavior of the Guar/borax gel is compared with that of Scleroglucan/borax. The macroscopic properties of the two systems were characterized in terms of rheological measurements. Atomic force microscopy images and molecular dynamics simulation allowed to evaluate, at molecular level, the effect of borax addition to the Guar polymer. Both experiments show that an increasing of the polymer rigidity is produced by borax. The role played by galactose in the side chain was also discussed.

A. B. Foster

Papers

Ionophoresis of carbohydrates. Part II. Some pyranose and furanose derivatives of D-glucose