Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is an organic compound that acts as a surfactant, with a long hydrophobic tail and a negatively charged sulfate group. When SDS is added to a protein sample, it binds to the proteins in a specific manner, imparting a uniform negative charge to them. This characteristic is particularly important in the context of gel electrophoresis, where proteins need to be separated based on size rather than charge.
