Abstract. Unified theory for gel electrophoresis and gel filtration: The behavior of macromolecules in gel filtration and gel electrophoresis may be predicted from Ogston's model for a random meshwork of fibers. This model has been generalized to apply to nonspherical molecules and to several gel types. The model provides equations for inter-relationships between mobility, partition coefficient, gel concentration, and molecular radius; it gives a non-Gaussian distribution of pore sizes as a function of gel concentration. The theory defines conditions for optimal separation and optimal resolution in gel filtration and gel electrophoresis. The difference in resolving power between the two fractionation methods is accounted for by the fact that gel filtration is a form of partition chromatography.Several models have been proposed for the mechanism of gel electrophoresis and gel filtration using diverse and mostly improbable assumptions regarding pore geometry.'-'0 The Ogston model makes only minimal assumptions regarding pore architecture, and is realistic in terms of known polymer structures such as polyacrylamide, cross-linked dextran, starch, agarose, or hyaluronic acid." 2 Ogston derived the distribution of spaces (fractional volume, f) available to a spherical molecule in a random suspension of linear fibers' or beads." 2 This model has been applied to gel filtration by making the assumption that the coefficient Ka. is equal tof;2 11where Ve is elution volume, Vo is void volume, and VT is total volume. Morris applied the Ogston model to gel electrophoresis"2 by proposing that the electrophoretic mobility (M) relative to free mobility (Mo) is equal tof:Morris noted that this provides a unified theoretical basis for gel electrophoresis and gel filtration, and suggested a linear relationship of the form: