Patent ID: 7615354

Claim:
A device for electrophoretic separation and purification of charged and neutral compounds in an analyte solution, said device comprising: (a) a chamber containing said analyte solution, at least a part of one wall of the chamber being composed of the buffering face of a first portion of a chemical buffering system, said chemical buffering system defining a desired pH or pH gradient in said first portion contacting said analyte solution, said first portion being integral with a remaining portion of said chemical buffering system extending outside of said chamber, said first portion enabling the charged compounds to migrate from said analyte solution in said chamber into said remaining portion of said chemical buffering system and out of said chamber while the neutral compound and said analyte solution remain within said chamber; and (b) means for producing a potential difference across said chemical buffering system to generate an electric field that is distributed along said buffering face of said chemical buffering system and that penetrates into said analyte solution in said chamber at a position of said first portion of said chemical buffering system in contact with said analyte solution, whereby compounds that are globally neutral at said pH or pH range defined by said first portion of said chemical buffering system contacting said analyte solution remain in said chamber upon potential application, whereas compounds that are charged at said pH or pH range defined by said first portion of said chemical buffering system contacting said analyte solution migrate and are extracted out of said chamber into said chemical buffering system upon potential application.