Quick guide to pouring an agarose gel
- weigh agarose, add to flask
- measure and add buffer
- weigh and record the total weight of the flask
- swirl gently
- cover flask opening with weigh boat
- place in microwave
- cook for 45 – 60 s (for mine use high power – which is the default, for a better microwave oven, use medium power)
- protecting your hand with a glove, take out flask and swirl contents (watch out for boiling over from superheating)
- cook for an additional 45 – 60 s
- weigh flask again, bring to starting volume by adding H2O (1 ml H2O per 1 g of lost weight)
- tape the ends of the gel tray
- run a bead of agarose to seal the tape/tray join (to keep you gel from leaking) – wait about 5 min to let this harden
- put a comb in the gel tray
- add 0.1 µl of 0.5 mg/ml EtBr per ml of gel (make sure you are wearing gloves)
- swirl and pour gel
- immediately rinse flask with running water, and place in bucket for wash up