elute

To elute is to remove by dissolving, such as with a substance that has been absorbed into another substance. 

In the field of physical chemistry and chromatography, substances are normally eluted in order to purify another substance or isolate a specific substance from another for independent use. For example, to separate antibodies from red blood cells, a scientist would heat the combined substance in a saline solution. Separating out the antibodies would allow the scientist to study the antibodies more closely.

Elution is the process of eluting, and the eluent is the solution you would use to elute your substance.

Example: To understand why Madison was so sick, her doctor ordered a test that would elute antibodies from a sample of her blood.

The first records of the term elute come from around the 1720s. It comes from the Latin ēluere, meaning “to wash out.”

What are some other forms related to elute?

• elution (noun)

What are some words that share a root or word element with elute? 

• elutriate
• elutriator
• eluent

What are some words that often get used in discussing elute?

• acid
• chemistry
• protein
• solvent

Elute is almost always used to refer to removing something by dissolving it in a solution.

When you elute your prep plate with toluene. pic.twitter.com/EuAxVunnBR

— Shenvi Lab (@Shenvi_Lab) October 29, 2021

Somehow I missed the FDA approving the first drug eluting contacts last month. They elute ketotifen for allergic conjunctivitis. How cool is that?

— Blitzy ⚡️🩺🏴‍☠️ (@Blitz_y) April 4, 2022

12 hours of purifying protein is worth it when you finally elute and the cool GFP tag makes it debut pic.twitter.com/ympNleoT00

— Annie Doyle (@Anaerobe_annie) March 5, 2021

True or False?

To elute is to absorb one substance into another.