Electrophoresis of the globin chains of hemoglobin on cellulose acetate in both acidic and alkaline buffers (pH about 6 and 9) containing urea and 2-mercaptoethanol is a simple, rapid means of characterizing hemoglobins. Erythrocyte hemolysate is electrophoresed in the presence of a large amount of mercaptoethanol, which liberates heme from globin, and keeps it in solution during its rapid electrophoretic removal. Each globin chain migrates at a characteristic rate, which varies with the pH and composition of the buffer. The combined data permit differentiation, with a high degree of specificity, of some similarly charged hemoglobins. They may also be useful in assessing the effect of secondary and tertiary structure on molecular charge.
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Rose G. Schneider (1974) studied this question.