Now add enough of the salt solution to cover the gel and keep it from drying. With an eyedropper, place your test substances into the wells, rinsing the dropper thoroughly between samples. To start your experiment, just connect the aluminum foil to your batteries with alligator clips, with the positive terminal attached to the side opposite the wells so that the negatively charged molecules have some room to move. Don't worry if you notice some bubbling along the foil as water molecules are split apart by electrolysis. Because of its tendency to tarnish, you will have to replace the aluminum foil when you renew the agarose after each run.
Electrophoresis is a cornerstone of molecular biology.
Armed with this technique you can isolate the basic stuff of biology for further exploration. There are far too many living systems for professionals to study them all, and so there are many discoveries waiting for the ambitious amateur armed with this technique, a textbook and some perseverance. The Society for Amateur Scientists has joined forces with Edvotek to create a complete gel-based electrophoresis unit for kitchens and classroom labs. You will find more information about this and other articles from the Amateur Scientist on the World Wide Web.