Radiotracer Purification
Radiotracer Purification - Related Videos
08:16
Plasmid Purification
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2023
Plasmid purification is a technique used to isolate and purify plasmid DNA from genomic DNA, proteins, ribosomes, and the bacterial cell wall. A plasmid is a small, circular, double-stranded DNA that is used as a carrier of specific DNA molecules. When introduced into a host organism via transformation, a plasmid will be replicated, creating numerous copies of the DNA fragment under study. In this video, a step-by-step generalized procedure is described for how to perform plasmid purification.
02:18
Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of the Human Brain Using a Radiotracer
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2025
Source: Jamadar, S. et. al. Radiotracer Administration for High Temporal Resolution Positron Emission Tomography of the Human Brain: Application to FDG-fPET. J. Vis. Exp. (2019)This video demonstrates the quantification of brain glucose metabolism using positron emission tomography (PET). The participant is infused with the tracer F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) during scanning. FDG accumulates in active neurons and emits positrons upon F-18 decay. These positrons interact with electrons,...
06:30
Gel Purification
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2023
Gel purification is used to recover DNA fragments after electrophoretic separation. DNA recovery from an agarose gel includes three basic steps: binding, washing and eluting from a silica column. DNA is believed to bind to silica in the presence of high salt via a salt bridge. Following binding, DNA is washed of impurities and eluted under low salt conditions disrupting this interaction. This video goes through a step-by-step, generalized procedure for cutting out a band from the gel, gel...
11:22
GST-His purification: A Two-step Affinity Purification Protocol Yielding Full-length Purified Proteins
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Cited by 18 •
2013
In the present protocol, we demonstrate a highly efficient and cost-effective small-scale protein purification method, which allows purification of recombinant proteins by uniquely combining a cleavable GST-tag and a small His-tag.
05:39
Purification of Ferrocene by Sublimation
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2023
Source: Tamara M. Powers, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University Sublimation, the direct phase transition of a solid into a gas without first becoming a liquid, takes place at temperatures and pressures lower than that of the compound's triple point (Figure 1).The process of sublimation can be utilized to purify both organic and inorganic solids. During the purification technique, a solid is heated directly into the gas-phase. All non-volatile impurities are left behind while the...
FAQs
Separation depends on differences in polarity, charge, molecular size, or binding affinity between the labeled compound and unwanted materials. These properties determine whether the tracer and impurities behave differently during chromatography, extraction, or ion exchange. Selecting a method that exploits the strongest available difference improves chemical resolution while reducing the processing required before measurement or imaging.
Radioactive decay continues while the compound is being processed, so delays can reduce the amount of tracer available for analysis or imaging. Chemists therefore coordinate purification with shielding and careful handling to limit exposure and preserve the labeled product. Time control is particularly important when the radionuclide has a short lifetime and processing occupies a significant part of the experiment.
These methods emphasize different chemical interactions. High-performance liquid chromatography separates components as they move through a chromatographic system, while solid-phase extraction relies on selective retention and release from a solid material. Ion-exchange methods distinguish species through charge-related interactions. The appropriate choice depends on which difference between the tracer and impurities is most useful.
A typical workflow identifies the labeled product and likely contaminants, selects a separation method, and processes the reaction mixture under conditions that preserve the tracer. The separated material is then collected for measurement or imaging use. Throughout the workflow, chemists balance chemical separation against radioactive decay, shielding requirements, and handling constraints.
It is used when a labeled compound must provide a dependable signal in positron emission tomography, metabolic studies, or reaction tracing. Removing unreacted starting materials, byproducts, solvents, and other radionuclide impurities helps ensure that the measured signal reflects the intended tracer rather than unresolved components. This makes the resulting data more reliable for chemical and biological interpretation.
Purification improves radiochemical purity, meaning the measured radioactivity is more closely associated with the intended labeled compound. That improvement supports more reliable measurement and imaging, while removal of unwanted radioactive components contributes to safer handling. Purification therefore affects both experimental validity and practical laboratory control, rather than serving only as a final chemical cleanup step.