Magnetic particles for purifying nucleic acids

Preparation as claimed in one of the previous claims, wherein the particles have a glass coat which contains between 2 and 6 mole % zinc oxide.

Preparation as claimed in one of the previous claims, containing at least one core of a magnetic metal.

Process for producing a preparation of particles having a core coated with a gel layer containing less than 5% by weight particles without cores comprising the steps

• suspending core particles in a sol using a core particle preparation
• spray drying the suspension to form a gel,
• wherein the core particle preparation comprises 75% by weight particles having a particle size between 0.5 and 15 μm.

Process for purifying nucleic acids by non-covalently binding nucleic acids from a sample to particles having a glass surface, removing non-bound sample components and eluting the bound nucleic acids from the glass surface, wherein the sample is contacted with a preparation as claimed in one of the claims 1 to 8 or 15 to 16.

Use of zinc oxide in glass layers generated by a sol/gel process to increase the binding capacity of the glass surface for nucleic acids.