In the application of size exclusion chromatography (SEC), resins made from agarose and dextran polymers are two widely used media. Their differences mainly lie in the polymer structures, pore size, mechanical strength, and the optimal application range.
- Agarose resins usually exist in the form of porous spherical gel particles that naturally have large pore sizes. The dextran resins used for chromatography are typically formed by cross-linking the dextran chains, resulting in spherical particles with a three-dimensional network structure. The degree of cross-linking determines the pore size and swelling degree of the dextran resin.
- The fractionation range is the most core application difference between agarose resins and dextran resins. Agarose resins commonly have very large pore diameters, so they are suitable for separating large-molecular-weight biological molecules, such as large protein complexes, virus particles, plasmid DNA, and super-large molecular proteins. Since dextran resins can be produced with different pore sizes by controlling the cross-linking degree, their fractionation range is more focused on medium and small-molecular-weight biological molecules.
- The mechanical strength of natural agarose gels is relatively low, especially at low concentrations, which limits the flow rate and pressure that the chromatographic column packed with agarose resins can withstand. Therefore, most current agarose resins are through chemically cross-link to improve their physical stability and chemical tolerance, enabling them to withstand higher flow rates and industrial applications. The mechanical strength of dextran resins is directly related to the cross-linking degree. Highly cross-linked dextran resina are very dense and strong, but have small pore diameters.
Amerigo Scientific provides high-quality size-exclusion chromatography resins made from agarose or dextran polymers. These two series of products are complementary in their exclusion range, which spans from 102 to 108 Da. Therefore, they can meet the various needs for separating biological molecules.
The size exclusion range of Seplife® agarose resins
Seplife® Agarose Size Exclusion Resins
Compared with natural agarose, the cross-linked agarose matrix has improved mechanical stability and allows for higher flow rates and shorter processing times in chromatographic applications. The proportion of agarose determines the porosity and surface area of the gel beads, as well as non-specific interactions. Seplife® agarose gel filtration resins are very suitable for the chromatographic separation based on differences in molecular size, especially at larger scales.
Amerigo Scientific provides two specifications of cross-linked agarose gel filtration resins. They are Seplife® 4AG/90, containing 4% cross-linked agarose, and Seplife® 6AG/90, containing 6% cross-linked agarose. Their particle size range is 45-165μm, with an average particle size of 90μm.
Main Features
- The hydrophilic agarose matrix ensures an extremely low level of non-specific adsorption and a high recovery rate.
- The high alkaline stability allows for efficient cleaning and sanitization with up to 1.0 M NaOH.
- The good flow property enables rapid separation of bio-molecules.
Product Range
| Product |
Size exclusion |
Particle size (μm) |
Max. Flow rate (cm/h) |
Max. Pressure (MPa) |
pH Stability |
| Seplife® 4AG/90 |
4×10⁴-3×10⁷ Da |
45-165 |
420 |
0.3 |
3-13 (Operational);
2-14 (CIP) |
| Seplife® 6AG/90 |
1×10⁴-4×10⁶ Da |
750 |
Seplife® Dextran Size Exclusion Resins
Seplife® dextran size exclusion resins are hydrophilic inert media with controllable pore size. We offer Seplife® dextran resins with different dextran concentrations and crosslinking degrees, which have differences in swelling properties and pore size distribution. Therefore, our resin products meet the application needs involving different molecular size ranges. Seplife® dextran size exclusion resins can be used in buffer exchange, desalination, removal of small molecules, and separation of substances of different molecular sizes.
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