Benchmark Agarose 3:1, 100 g

The A1801-31 is Benchmark Agarose 3:1 — a specialty agarose blend in the A1800 specialty-agarose family, sold at $360 / 100 g for high-resolution separation of small-to-mid-range DNA fragments. The 3:1 ratio refers to the agarose-to-agarose-derivative blend that produces enhanced band resolution in the 100 bp – 1 kb fragment range — the workflow band where standard LE (A1700 family) loses resolution and specialty agaroses become the right pick.

Author confidence note (MEDIUM): Brochure exists in corpus as image-only PDF (no text layer extractable). Specs sourced from universe label and standard 3:1-grade agarose conventions. Confirm exact gel-strength values and 3:1 blend composition with Benchmark Scientific technical support at first procurement.

Key Specifications

Why a 3:1 Specialty Agarose — High-Resolution Small-Fragment Separation

Standard LE agarose (A1700 family) produces good resolution from ~200 bp to >10 kb at appropriate gel concentrations, but loses resolution sharply in the 100 bp – 1 kb range where small fragments band-broaden and run together. The 3:1 blend is engineered to maintain sharp band resolution across the 100 bp – 1 kb range at higher gel-concentration percentages without the band-broadening that standard LE shows at the same conditions.

Pick the 3:1 (A1801-31) when:

• Workflow involves small-to-mid-range DNA fragment analysis (100 bp – 1 kb)
• Restriction-digest analysis producing fragments in the small-fragment range
• PCR-product band differentiation where multiple bands cluster in the small-fragment range
• Genotyping workflows requiring resolution of similarly-sized small fragments
• The standard LE grade (A1700 family) produces insufficient band resolution

Pick A1801-HR for PCR-grade workflows where DNA recovery for downstream cloning is the priority.

Pick A1801-LM for low-melt workflows where intact-DNA recovery from gel slices is the priority.

Pick A1700 LE family for standard DNA electrophoresis at $1.13–$2.68/g where high-resolution small-fragment separation is not required.

Specialty Agarose Family — A1801 Comparison

Application Profile

Restriction-digest analysis with small-fragment patterns — the workflow that drove the 3:1 spec. RFLP analysis, restriction-mapping workflows, fragment-size profiling.

Genotyping workflows — microsatellite analysis, SSR fingerprinting, allele-discrimination workflows requiring resolution of similarly-sized small fragments.

PCR-product differentiation — multiplex PCR, allele-specific PCR, fragment-mix analysis where standard LE produces band overlap.

Method-development workflows — protocol-development comparing standard LE vs 3:1 vs HR resolution across small-to-mid-range fragment workflows.

Forensic biology DNA-fragment analysis — STR and small-fragment analysis at the 100 bp – 1 kb range typical of forensic profiling.

Educational molecular biology laboratory — graduate-level coursework introducing specialty agarose decision-making across the full fragment-size range.

Ordering & Configuration

Pair with electrophoresis chassis — same chassis pairing as standard LE; see A1700 parent page for chassis / buffer / stain matrix.

Pair with appropriate gel-concentration protocol — 3:1 specialty agaroses typically run at 2–4 % gel concentration vs the 0.8–1.5 % typical of standard LE.

Confirm at quote: workflow fragment-size range justifying 3:1 specialty (vs standard LE), gel-concentration protocol, electrophoresis chassis pairing, and lead time.

Warranty: Per Benchmark Scientific standard reagent terms.

Specialty agarose selection:

- A1801-31 (this product) — 3:1 high-resolution blend — small-fragment workflows (100 bp – 1 kb)

- A1801-HR — HR PCR-grade — sequencing-prep / cloning-prep

- A1801-LM — Low-melt — intact-DNA gel-slice recovery

Pick the 3:1 specialty for high-resolution small-fragment separation; sister specialty grades cover sequencing-prep and gel-slice-recovery workflows; standard LE family (A1700/A1701/A1705) covers general-purpose electrophoresis at lower per-gram cost.