nucleic acid purification
Low yield troubleshooting for DNA preps
A low spectrophotometer reading can mean incomplete lysis, overload, excess elution volume, leftover ethanol, nuclease or input that was never there.
8 October 2026 · 7 min read
Topic cluster
Nucleic acid purification
DNA and RNA extraction principles, sample handling, purity checks and the limits of a clean spectrophotometric ratio.
All topicsBuffers and laboratory water26Cell culture26Chromatography26Cold chain and sample storage26Cytometry and microscopy26DNA sequencing26Gels and blotting26Gene expression26Genome editing26Immunoassays26Laboratory labware26Laboratory safety26Liquid handling26Microbiology26Molecular cloning26Nucleic acid purification26PCR and amplification26Protein biochemistry26Proteomics26Research sourcing and study design26
specificationenquiryglossarytroubleshootingcontaminationcontrolsquantificationpurificationbenchesaliquotsblanksabsorbancecarryoverextractionno rt controlstoragetissuedilution
26 articles
nucleic acid purification
Lysing cells without shearing the target
Open cells with detergent or enzyme when the assay needs long DNA, and treat mechanical bead-beating as a shearing step a short PCR may still accept.
8 October 2026 · 10 min read
nucleic acid purification
Plant DNA extraction and polyphenols
Plan plant DNA extraction around oxidising polyphenols and co-precipitating polysaccharides, from CTAB-class buffers to young leaf versus woody tissue.
8 October 2026 · 10 min read
nucleic acid purification
Protecting RNA during extraction
How to keep RNA intact from lysis to elution: RNase control, what A260 ratios do not prove, and the checks that show whether the preparation is still usable.
8 October 2026 · 8 min read
nucleic acid purification
Quantifying DNA with a spectrophotometer
A spectrophotometer number is a concentration only after a blank and a pathlength. Compare a pedestal with a cuvette before you trust the reading.
8 October 2026 · 8 min read
nucleic acid purification
Questions for a nucleic acid prep enquiry
Ask sample type, DNA or RNA, the downstream method, inhibitor risk, throughput and documentation before you send a nucleic acid prep enquiry.
8 October 2026 · 7 min read
nucleic acid purification
Removing PCR inhibitors from difficult samples
Pick dilution, a further cleanup, or an inhibitor-tolerant polymerase when heme, humic acid, heparin or leftover solvent stops a PCR.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
nucleic acid purification
RNA extraction on a clean bench
Define RNase, RNase-free plastic, DEPC, ice and dedicated tubes, then see how a shared bench fails an RNA extraction before lysis starts.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
nucleic acid purification
RNase contamination on shared benches
Skin, dust, old racks and recycled tubes seed RNase on a shared bench. Separate contamination from inhibition, and know when a wipe is not enough.
8 October 2026 · 7 min read
nucleic acid purification
Salting-out and organic extraction concepts
Reason from a dirty phenol interphase or a low 260/230 back to salting-out or organic phase chemistry, without treating solvents as a casual recipe.
8 October 2026 · 10 min read
nucleic acid purification
Silica columns versus magnetic beads
Choose a silica column or magnetic beads from debris load, plate throughput and fragment length, since both often share the same bind-wash-elute chemistry.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
nucleic acid purification
Storing eluted DNA and RNA
DNA is more forgiving than RNA once eluted. Choose TE or water, plan aliquots and freeze-thaw, and treat humidity and power cuts as storage risks.
8 October 2026 · 8 min read