Abstract
This chapter provides information on the basic equipment, chemicals, and supplies that should be present in any laboratory undertaking protein purification. It is natural in setting up a laboratory to focus on the large, expensive apparatus, but in practice, available funds should first go to ensuring an adequate supply of supporting materials. A great deal of thought should be given to the planned usage of such equipment to determine the actual needs. In some instances, duplicating a frequently used item may be more advantageous than purchasing a new piece of equipment that will be used infrequently. The most important detection device in the laboratory is the spectrophotometer. It can be used for determining protein concentrations, measuring the growth of bacterial cultures, and for a variety of enzymatic and colorimetric assays. The spectrophotometer should be equipped with both ultraviolet (UV) and visible optics and cover the range from about 200 to 800 nm to be of most use.