Methods for extraction and sample clean-up

Abstract

Living organisms consist of complex mixtures of chemicals, usually held within cellular structures. In order that these chemicals may be isolated for testing in bioassays, for determining their structure, or both, the initial step clearly involves separating them from the cellular structural material (mostly protein, lipid and polysaccharide) and ideally from the large majority of unrelated substances coexisting in the organism. However, in some cases it may be the structural proteins, lipids or polysaccharides that are desired.