Ionic Detergents

Ionic detergents have a hydrophilic head group that is charged and can be either negatively (anionic) or positively (cationic) charged. Ionic detergents are used for the complete disruption of cellular structures and denaturation of proteins for separation during gel electrophoresis. Ionic detergents bind with protein molecules, masking their native charge and rendering the protein molecules the overall charge of the ionic detergent.