Sage-Tips

Why should gloves always be worn while handling acrylamide gels?

Acrylamide is a potent neurotoxin and is absorbed through the skin. Although polyacrylamide is considered to be nontoxic, it should be handled with care because of possibility that it might contain small quantities of unpolymerized acrylamide (e.g. wear gloves and a mask when washing the pipette and the syringe).

What are the precautions that should be taken when handling agarose gel?

Personal Protective Equipment

• Wear a long-sleeved lab coat, safety goggles, nitrile gloves (latex is not effective), long pants, and closed-toe shoes.
• Wear appropriate skin and eye protection when working with UV radiation.

Is agarose gel hazardous?

May cause respiratory tract irritation. Skin May be harmful if absorbed through skin. May cause skin irritation. Eyes May cause eye irritation.

What happens when ethidium bromide on your skin?

EtBr is a potent mutagen (can cause genetic damage), and moderately toxic after an acute exposure. EtBr can be absorbed through skin, so it is important to avoid any direct contact with the chemical. The powder form is considered an irritant to the upper respiratory tract, eyes, and skin.

Can acrylamide go through gloves?

As far as I understand, One would have to work in lab coat, gloves (nitrile if possible – latex gets penetrated by acrylamide in a matter of minutes), and should not leave any acrylamide mess around (it will get absorbed through the skin if others touch it).

What are the proper uses for agarose and acrylamide gels?

Agarose gels can be used to resolve large fragments of DNA. Polyacrylamide gels are used to separate shorter nucleic acids, generally in the range of 1−1000 base pairs, based on the concentration used (Figure 1). These gels can be run with or without a denaturant.

What personal protection must be used when handling polyacrylamide?

When handling suspensions or solutions, choose a glove that is protective against both the solvent and acrylamide. If gloves are splashed or come in contact with acrylamide, change them as soon as possible. o Gloves must be thoroughly inspected prior to each use.

What is the precaution should be taken when handling ethidium bromide and why?

EtBr can be absorbed through skin, so it is important to avoid any direct contact with the chemical. EtBr is an irritant to the skin, eyes, mouth, and upper respiratory tract. It should be stored away from strong oxidizing agents in a cool, dry place, and the container must be kept undamaged and tightly closed.

How do you handle the gels and power leads?

Connect both supply leads at the same time (to prevent one lead from being live in your hand) to the power supply before turning on the power supply, or connect one lead at a time using one hand only. Ensure that your gloved hands are dry while connecting the leads or touching any electrical apparatus.

How do you dispose of acrylamide?

Acrylamide liquid waste should be poured into appropriate containers (i.e. carboys) for disposal through EHSS. Please do not put solids in with the liquid waste, including paper towels, fish heads, sheep eyes, or other solid materials!

Why should you always wear gloves when working with ethidium bromide?

Personnel handling ethidium bromide must wear adequate eye protection. Gloves should be worn when handling ethidium bromide. Disposable nitrile gloves provide adequate protection against accidental hand contact with small quantities of most laboratory chemicals.

Can ethidium bromide go through gloves?

Note: Natural rubber latex gloves do not provide a suitable barrier to penetration by EtBr. EtBr stock solutions and powder should be stored away from strong oxidizing agents in a cool, dry place and the container must be kept undamaged and tightly closed.

How do you measure the amount of agarose in a gel?

For example, if you are making a 30mL gel that you want to be 0.8\%, the amount of agarose to use is 0.24g. Measure out the agarose using wax weighing paper. We keep some agarose in a scintillation vial near the balance; that way you don’t need a spatula to measure it out. Put the agarose in an Erlenmeyer flask.

Is agarose gel expensive to make?

Agarose is expensive, so don’t waste it. Don’t make a huge gel if you don’t have a lot of samples to run or if you don’t need to run them that far. Gels are described in terms of percents: 0.7\%, 0.8\%, 1\%, and 1.2\% are pretty common gel percentages.

How do you use a well comb to prepare agarose gel?

Pour the agarose into a gel tray with the well comb in place. *Pro-Tip* Pour slowly to avoid bubbles which will disrupt the gel. Any bubbles can be pushed away from the well comb or towards the sides/edges of the gel with a pipette tip.

What is used to move DNA molecules across an agarose gel?

An electric current is used to move the DNA molecules across an agarose gel, which is a polysaccharide matrix that functions as a sort of sieve. The matrix helps “catch” the molecules as they are transported by the electric current. Electricity is used to move DNA molecule fragments through the agarose gel.