Slide-A-Lyzer Dialysis Cassettes and Flasks

Dialysis cassettes offer a more convenient and secure alternative to traditional dialysis tubing.The Slide-A-Lyzer G3 dialysis cassette offers a rigid-framed, free-standing, and self-floating vessel with a secure cap closure and large surface area consisting of regenerated cellulose membranes for simple and efficient dialysis experiments. Samples can be loaded and retrieved easily using a serological pipette.

In contrast, traditional dialysis membrane tubing presents a number of challenges: the tubing is slippery when wet and requires knots or plastic clips to secure the sample. Leakage or contamination of the sample is likely because the membrane must be closed manually (see comparison table below).

Additional features of the Slide-A-Lyzer G3 dialysis cassettes:

• Sample security—Sealed membranes prevent leakage that can occur with dialysis tubing
• Ergonomic—A lighter and more compact frame enables easier handling, loading, and retrieval
• Greener by design—The Slide-A-Lyzer G3 features up to a 68% reduction in plastic waste compared to previous generations while offering the same secure, high-performance dialysis. Refer to the  Slide-A-Lyzer G3 green fact sheet for more information.
• Self-flotation—No external flotation device or clips are required

The Slide-A-Lyzer G3 is simple to use. Load the cassette with sample, put it into the dialysis buffer, and then retrieve the sample.

Figure 2. Slide-A-Lyzer G3 dialysis cassettes workflow

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Slide-A-Lyzer MINI Dialysis Devices are disposable polypropylene cups with integrated, low-binding membranes for convenient, high-performance dialysis of 10 µL to 2 mL samples. The MINI devices are designed to allow easy sample addition and removal using a serological pipette. They are effective and convenient for performing typical sample desalting or buffer exchange in 4–8 hours. Slide-A-Lyzer MINI Dialysis Devices are available in three sizes (0.1, 0.5 and 2 mL capacities) with five molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) specifications: 2K, 3.5K, 7K, 10K, and 20K.

Additional features of Slide-A-Lyzer MINI dialysis devices:

• High sample recovery—Low-binding membranes help ensure that proteins and other macromolecules are fully recovered
• Ease-of-use—Disposable; no syringe adapters or other assembled equipment required
• Chemical compatibility—Cellulose membranes are compatible with common chemicals and buffers

The Slide-A-Lyzer MINI device makes dialyzing small volumes easy. Just add the sample, place the device in the conical tube (for 0.5 and 2 mL devices), recap, and shake for up to 4 hours or overnight. Use a pipet to recover the sample (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Slide-A-Lyzer MINI dialysis device workflow

† Insulin chain B, cytochrome C and myoglobin (0.25 mg/mL) in either 50mM sodium phosphate, 75 mM NaCl at pH 7.2 or 0.2 M carbonate-bicarbonate buffer at pH 9.4 were dialyzed overnight (17 hours) at 4°C. The amount of protein in the retentate was determined using the Pierce BCA Protein Assay.

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Slide-A-Lyzer dialysis flasks are excellent for sample volumes ranging from 150–250 mL. They are constructed from 2 sheets of low-binding, regenerated-cellulose dialysis membrane that are hermetically sealed on either side of an inert plastic body. The membrane and flask materials are compatible with most laboratory buffers.

With Slide-A-Lyzer dialysis flasks, typical low-molecular weight contaminant removal, buffer exchange, and desalting can be accomplished in 8 hours to overnight. The rate of dialysis depends on a variety of factors, including sample volume, size and the shape of the molecule being dialyzed, agitation, and temperature. Minimum dialysis time must be determined empirically for each specific system.

Slide-A-Lyzer dialysis flasks are manufactured using clean-room conditions, and contain low protein-binding regenerated cellulose membranes to enable maximum sample recovery and sample purity. The dialysis flasks are available in distinct colors that correspond to the MWCO of the dialysis membrane: purple (20 kDa), orange (10 kDa), pink (3.5 kDa), and blue (2 kDa).

Additional features of Slide-A-Lyzer dialysis flasks:

• Ease-of-use—No knots or clips are needed to seal the units; simply pipette or pour sample into the flask and begin dialysis
• High recovery—A rectangular flask design maximizes recovery of the entire sample volume via the opening at the top of the flask

Slide-A-Lyzer Dialysis flasks make sample loading and recovery easy. Simply attach the supplied float-ring and hydrate membrane for 2 minutes, pour sample into device, remove air, and replace the cap. Dialyze for 8 hours to overnight. Replace buffer after 2 and 5 hours, then pour out sample to recover.

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