USE OF THE SODIUM-SALT OF POLY(VINYLSULFONIC ACID) AS A LOW-MOLECULAR-WEIGHT DISPLACER FOR PROTEIN SEPARATIONS BY ION-EXCHANGE DISPLACEMENT CHROMATOGRAPHY

The sodium salt of poly(vinylsulfonic acid) (PVSNa), molecular weight 2000, a low-molecular-weight polyelectrolyte, has been identified as a suitable displacer for the concentration and purification of protein mixtures. This displacer has been tested on the separation of ovalbumin from conalbumin, and the fractionation of heterogeneous ovalbumin. The displacement characteristics of the polyelectrolyte were a strong function of the carrier pH, and a pH for good displacement development of heterogeneous ovalbumin has been identified. The displacer can be efficiently removed from the exchanger with a mild regeneration protocol. In this regard, the low-molecular-weight polyelectrolyte appears to have a significant advantage over high-molecular-weight ion-exchange displacers used in the past. Solvent requirements for regeneration and re-equilibration are significantly lower with PVSNa, suggesting the use of molecular weight to tailer ion-exchange displacers with desirable characteristics with respect to both column development and regeneration. © 1990.