Chelex® 100 Chelating Resin is a weak cation exchange resin that has high selectivity, approximately 5,000:1, for copper, iron, and other heavy metal ions over monovalent cations. Chelex 100 Resin is made of a styrene divinylbenzene copolymer containing paired iminodiacetate ions, which act as chelating groups in binding polyvalent metal ions.

There are three types of Chelex® 100 Chelating Resin available; analytical, biotechnology grade, and molecular biology grade. Analytical grade Chelex® 100 Resin is sized and purified for reproducibility in analytic techniques. Biotechnology grade Chelex® 100 Resin is the analytical grade form certified to contain fewer than 100 microorganisms per gram of resin.

Molecular biology grade Chelex® 100 Resin can be used for fast, easy DNA purification from many sample types, such as forensic, blood, mammalian cells, and bacteria, including samples with high levels of salts. The resin avidly binds divalent cations such as Mg2+, inactivating DNases and other enzymes as well as binding other compounds that can interfere with enzyme-based applications such as PCR and ligation.

The resin has a strong affinity for transition metals, even in highly concentrated salt solutions.