cracking gels

[Vicky Cook]

I am not sure I can call this a fool-proof method, but back in the 

> days before imaging stations, when we routinely dried our acrylamide 

> gels, we used to us the following technique. After destaining in 10% 

> acetic acid, we soaked the gel in 2% glycerol. This can be done
overnight.

> Adding 0.02-0.05% sodium azide can preserve if you want to store the 

> gel a bit longer in the glycerol. Then we dried, and always tried to 

> use a gradual heating of the gel. Opt for longer drying with less 

> heat; this tends to prevent cracking.