Pulsed-field separation of polysaccharides in capillaries

A method for the separation of a mixture of polysaccharides in a sample, comprising:

• (a) drawing said sample into a capillary through one end thereof defined as a sample introduction end, said capillary filled with an electrophoretic separation medium;
• and
• (b) imposing through said capillary an electric field in the direction away from said sample introduction end, said direction being defined as the forward direction, for time intervals defined as forward field time intervals, separated by intervening time intervals during which no electric field is imposed in said forward direction, the field strength of said electric field and the duration of said forward field and intervening time intervals being selected to cause electrophoretic migration of individual polysaccharides through said capillary in said forward direction at differing rates corresponding to the molecular weights of said polysaccharides.