Paired wells, approximately 1.5 mm. The gel is placed in an electrophoresis tank containing a barbital buffer, pH 8.6, and triple thicknesses of filter paper are used as wicks to connect the ends of the slides with the buffer. The application of an electrical current, set at a constant 100v, moves the two reactants towards each other. If the unknown sample contains protein corresponding to the species antiserum against which it is being tested, an extended lattice forms as a result of cross-linking, and a precipitate forms where they reach equivalence concentrations between the two wells. Weak positive reactions, common in archaeological samples, are more readily observed if the gel is dried and stained with a protein stain, such as Coomassie Blue.
Duplicate testing is carried out on all positive results.
A musket ball recovered from the Fort Clatsop site near Astoria, Oregon, was submitted for potential identification of animal protein residues by immunological analysis. Initial disaggregation was carried out by floating the dish and contents in an ultrasonic cleaning bath for two to three minutes. Extraction was continued by placing the boat and contents on a rotating mixer for thirty minutes. The resulting ammonia solution was removed with a pipette and placed in a plastic vial. Complete testing of the sample was continued against the antisera shown in Table 1.