What is isoelectric point how is it important factor useful in electrophoresis

Answer 1

The isoelectric point (pI) is the pH at which a molecule carries no net electrical charge. It is an important factor in electrophoresis because it helps determine the migration of a molecule in an electric field.

In electrophoresis, charged molecules are separated based on their size and charge. When a molecule is at its isoelectric point, it will not migrate in an electric field because there is no net charge to drive its movement. This can be useful in separating molecules with different pI values, as they will migrate at different rates based on their charge at a specific pH.

By adjusting the pH of the electrophoresis buffer, researchers can control the movement of molecules based on their isoelectric point, allowing for the separation and analysis of different molecules in a sample. This is particularly useful in techniques such as isoelectric focusing, where proteins are separated based on their pI values.