Enhances separation of nucleic acid fragments For extremely clear gels Facilitates image documentation Optimal display especially with small fragments How to Calculate the Required Synergel™ Quantity? 1. What percentage agarose gel is currently being used? 2. The gel will inevitably contain 0.7 % agarose (the minimum agarose concentration required to ensure gel stability). Hence, subtract 0.7 % from the agarose total. 3. Divide the difference by 2. The result is the percentage of Synergel™ to be added to the 0.7 % agarose. Example: Convert a 1 % agarose to a 1 % Synergel™/agarose gel a. Substract 0.7 % from the 1 % agarose: 1 % - 0.7 % = 0.3 % b. Divide the difference by 2: 0.3 % : 2 = 0.15 % c. 0.15 % (150 mg / 100 ml) is the amount of Synergel™ added to 0.7 % agarose (0.7 g / 100 ml) to produce the functional equivalent of a 1 % agarose gel. Synergel™ ≥99 %, for gel electrophoresis, up to 30 kb Synergel™ is a synergistic gelling and sieving agent consisting of a modified polysaccharide which, when combined with agarose, forms a hydrogen bonded binary gel system. The addition of Synergel™ to agarose improves gel performance by providing superior separation and definition of DNA fragments up to 30 kb. A gel mixture containing 0,7 % agarose and 0,7 % Synergel™, e.g., will produce improved results when compared to a 2 % agarose-only gel. Synergel™ also provides greater optical clarity, which allows higher quality photodocumentation of stained gels. Directions for use Standard buffer systems like phosphate, acetate or borate buffered Tris-EDTA may be used in forming the gel with agarose/ Synergel™. RNA may also be separated in this system by using a 2,2 M formaldehyde-containing buffer. Synergel™ is compatible with standard blotting procedures, thus, nucleic acid may be electroeluted or transferred to membranes following standard Southern/Northern blotting protocols. The figure compares separation qualities of A: 1,5 % Synergel™ / 0,7 % agarose and B: 4 % high-resolution agarose (NuSieve ® ). Please see also figures for pUC19 markers T149 and X901.