On the Interpretation of Some Field-Flow Fractionation Experiments

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Abstract
In a recent article (l), Kesner et al, reported data on protein separations in an electrical field-flow fractionation (EFFF) column where the channel walls are formed by stretched membranes. In their experiments conducted at a Ph of 4.5, they found retention to be generally better than expected. Based on the formation of an uneven ion distribution on either side of the membranes, they have postulated some explanations for this apparant deviation from theory. One consequence of such an ion buildup is to modify the electric field experienced by the proteins during their passage through the column. This could explain some of the differences between theory and experiments since their theoretical calculations assumed the field (obtained by dividing the potential drop between the electrodes by the distance between them) to be unaffected by the presence of the membranes. The consequence of a field modification, to a first order approximation, is the multiplication of the idealized migration velocities for the various species by the same species-independent factor. This factor may, of course, vary with the field strenght. We have shown in Ref. 2 that the crucial parameter characterizing FFF is a dimensionless group P defined by P = bv/D

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