electrophoresis

[ ih-lek-troh-fuh-ree-sis ]

noun

1. Also called cataphoresis. Physical Chemistry. the motion of colloidal particles suspended in a fluid medium, due to the influence of an electric field on the medium.
2. Biology. this technique, applied to sorting proteins according to their responses to an electric field.

electrophoresis

/ ɪˌlɛktrəʊfəˈriːsɪs; ɪˌlɛktrəʊfəˈrɛtɪk /

noun

1. the motion of charged particles in a colloid under the influence of an applied electric field Also calledcataphoresis

electrophoresis

/ ĭ-lĕk′trō-fə-rē′sĭs /

1. The migration of electrically charged molecules through a fluid or gel under the influence of an electric field. Electrophoresis is used especially to separate combinations of compounds, such as fragments of DNA, for the purpose of studying their components.

Derived Forms

• electrophoretic, adjective

Other Words From

• e·lec·tro·pho·ret·ic [ih-lek-troh-f, uh, -, ret, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of electrophoresis¹

1910–15; electro- + Greek phórēsis a being borne; -phore, -sis

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, Belfast-based fertility firm Examen uses a technique known as single cell gel electrophoresis to identify DNA damage in individual sperm.

From BBC

This week, Sims said he had students at home do a virtual gel electrophoresis activity.

From Washington Times

In the first week, I was assigned a few simple molecular-biology tasks: performing a polymerase chain reaction and analysing samples using gel electrophoresis.

From Nature

That alters how the RNA behaves in a common lab procedure known as gel electrophoresis, making it easy to detect.

From Science Magazine

Righetti is known in the world of proteomics for his work on electrophoresis, a process that helps to sort molecules by size and by electrical charge.

From The New Yorker