Batch-to-batch variation of Chelex-100 confounds metal-catalysed oxidation. Leaching of inhibitory compounds from a batch of Chelex-100 and their removal by a pre-washing procedure.

Removal of adventitious redox-active metals from buffers by treatment with Chelex resin is a widely used procedure in free radical research. Use of a new batch of Chelex-100 resin in our laboratory coincided with a sudden inability to oxidise low-density lipoprotein with copper. We found that copper-mediated oxidation of ascorbate in water treated with the same batch of Chelex was inhibited when compared with untreated water and water treated with a different batch of the resin. Washing the Chelex removed the inhibitory effect suggesting that material was leaching from the resin. The washing procedure for Chelex-100 described is simple and can be scaled up. Oxidation of ascorbate with low concentrations of copper can be used to test the quality of batches of the resin.