Protein Dialysis, Desalting, Concentrators, & Small Molecule Removal

Dialysis, desalting, and concentration are important steps in protein purification workflows, enabling the removal of unwanted salts, detergents, and small molecules that can interfere with protein function and downstream analyses. Find a variety of products, including dialysis membranes, desalting columns, and ultrafiltration devices, each tailored to optimize buffer conditions to enhance the purity and concentration of protein samples.

Salts, detergents, and other small molecules used in protein sample preparation can adversely affect protein function and stability, interfering with downstream analyses. A variety of resins and specialty devices are available in multiple formats for the efficient removal of salts and small molecule contaminants from protein samples, helping ensure consistent performance and high sample recovery. In many cases, downstream analyses may also require that proteins and other biomolecules be at a higher concentration. Ultrafiltration protein concentrator devices can accommodate a wide range of sample volumes, remove excess liquids and buffers, and even exchange buffers.

Protein clean-up selection guide

	Dialysis devices	Desalting spin columns	Concentrators	Dyes & biotin removal columns
Volume range	10 μL–250 mL	2 μL–10 mL	100 μL–6 L	50 μL–4 mL
Processing time	2–24 hrs	5–10 min	5–30 min*	5–15 min
Applications	Desalting, buffer exchange, removal of unincorporated labels	Desalting, buffer exchange, removal of unincorporated labels	Sample concentration, buffer exchange	Removal of unincorporated dyes, biotin, crosslinkers, and reducing agents
Sample type	Proteins, Cells	Proteins	Proteins, exosomes, nanolipid particles, supernatant, and viruses	Purified proteins
Viscous sample compatibility	Yes	No	No	No
Sample dilution	Possible	No	No	No
Gamma-irradiated	Yes	No	No	No

*Note: Processing time is sample dependent and may vary

dialysis cassettes, flasks, and microdialysis plates

Dialysis membranes

View our selection of dialysis membranes in a variety of formats like tubing, cups, cassettes, and flasks and a broad range of MWCOs.

Protein desalting

Quickly remove salts and small molecules from protein solutions using desalting spin columns, plates, and cartridges.

Protein concentrators

Use protein concentrators to simplify sample concentration, cleanup, and buffer exchange. They are available in five distinct molecular weight cutoffs (MWCOs) for volumes ranging between 100 μL–6 L.

Small molecule removal

Dye and Biotin Removal columns enable fast and efficient removal of non-reacted fluorescent dyes, biotin, reducing agents, and crosslinkers from samples containing proteins of interest that are larger than 7 kDa.

Peptide clean-up

Detergent removal resins in two formulations—optimized for high- or low-peptide concentrations—available in spin columns and 96-well spin filter plates.

Equilibrium dialysis

The Thermo Scientific Pierce RED system with easy-to-use inserts or preloaded plates for automation-compatible plasma protein binding assays.

Related categories

Various equipment and techniques are necessary to achieve optimal sample preparation and purification. Microcentrifuges and benchtop centrifuges facilitate the rapid and efficient separation of proteins from contaminants through centrifugal force. These centrifuges are used to spin down samples, enabling the removal of excess salts, detergents, and small molecules. Additionally, endotoxin quantitation, removal, and detection help ensure the purity and safety of protein samples, particularly in applications involving cell culture or therapeutic development.