I have examined the light-scattering behavior of a number of gel matrices ussd in gel filtration chromatography. The angular dependence of light scattering by Sephadexes is consistent with treatment of the particles as large scattering particles with a low refractive index increment (mu). Such particles scatter light almost exclusively in the forward direction, permitting their use in direct scanning gel chromatography systems without corrections for multiple scattering and the consequent variation in pathlength through the column. Any matrix material with an appropriate combination of these two properties (large effective size and low mu relative to solvent) will perform reasonably well in direct scanning systems while any material with very small effective particle size (agaroses) or high mu (glass beads) may be expected to perform poorly. Agaroses may be acceptable for work in the visible region of the spectrum while glass beads are not.
Gel matrices for scanning gel chromatography. Publishing Authors By Initials
