Destain time - (May/02/2005 )

Hi guys :
I am a new here ,and have a small question here , is it OK for me to do the destain for a whole night to get a better result ? Thanks a lot

The time length for gel destaining is determined by the extent of staining. Longer staining requires longer destaining. Destaining can also be hastened by repeated change of the solvent. A temp of 60C can shorten the whole process to less than a hour or so.

Hi, we recycle stain in our lab which means that it is less effective. I often leave this stain overnight, then it takes at least a day or so to destain properly. Overnight is not a long time. You destain until you get rid of the background stain around the bands, if you then leave it longer the bands start to fade and the gel starts to shrink as it is dehydrated. The small amount of dehydration over a few days and be reversed by putting the gel in water which rehydrates it back to the original size. I won't admit to it personally but some long forgotten gels shrivel to the size of a postage stamp, however even these can be rehydrated!