Dna Fingerprint Lab

Gel electrophoresis is a procedure which sorts molecules based on size and charge. The gel in gel electrophoresis refers to the object that separates the molecules. Electrophoreses refers to the force that is used to move the molecules through the gel. There are 2 stages to gel electrophoresis, separation and visualization. During separation the gel matrix is placed in an electrophoresis machine. An electric current is run through the machine and the different sized molecules form bands on the gel matrix. In visualization, the gel is dyed so the results become present. This is used in modern crime labs, figuring out DNA, which plays a key role in many criminal trials. The researcher completed this experiment to figure out who committed the murder using gel electrophoresis. The researcher followed five steps in this experiment; First was placing the gel in the electrophoresis chamber, second included preparing and loading the samples, third was hooking up the chamber to the power and placing the lid on properly, fourth was to set the power to 75 volts, and last was to clean up the lab station. The evidence in the lab helped the researcher conclude that the husband committed the crime. The researcher is conducting this lab to figure out the murderer of a victim. Gel electrophoresis was chosen because it is a very effective procedure.

Materials: 1. Set of latex gloves per person- to be sure no contamination occurs during the experiment. 2. 1 gel matrix- this is what the DNA is inserted into/ what the electric current is run through. It is a major part of the experiment. 3. 1Electrophoresis chamber- provides the space for electric current to flow through the matrix, separating the molecules. 4. 8 Microtubes containing crime scene samples- the evidence collected that will be inserted into the matrix to undergo gel electrophoresis. 5. 1 200 μL Micropipette- instrument used to accurately measure how much dna