Chromatography of Blood-clotting Factors and Serum Proteins on Columns of Diatomaceous Earth

1. In batch adsorptions with prothrombin solutions, hyflo was the weakest adsorbent, standard super-cel intermediate, and filter-cel strongest. Of these three grades of diatomaceous earth, hyflo has the smallest surface area per gram and filter-cel the largest. In parallel breakthrough experiments, a column of standard super-cel had a capacity almost six times that of a hyflo column. 2. After partial removal of impurities by diatomaceous earth, prothrombin preparations contained less thrombokinase, were more stable, and displayed less tendency to form thrombin "spontaneously." Thrombokinase (or its precursor) was removed from a preparation of prothrombin by passage through a filter cake of standard super-cel. The specific activity of the prothrombin was increased; and 62 per cent of the activity was recovered. 3. Prothrombin was adsorbed from an ammonium sulfate solution at pH 5.26 by columns of hyflo or standard super-cel. When eluted by phosphate solutions, the protein moved down the columns more readily at higher pH and higher concentration of phosphate salts, within the pH range 5.0 to 6.6, and within the phosphate range 0.1 to 1.0 M. 4. Thrombin was adsorbed on a column of standard super-cel at pH 5.11. As successive eluents passed through the column, the thrombin emerged between two bands of impurities. The specific activity of the thrombin was raised; and 83 per cent of the activity was recovered. 5. With a column of standard super-cel, and with a series of eluents within the pH range 5.1 to 6.3, total serum proteins were separated into four major bands. About 94 per cent of the protein was recovered.