Phenol chloroform extraction of DNA - (Apr/08/2009 )

I'm writing up a lab report and I was wondering if anybody had a link to a good explanation to the theory behind a phenol chloroform extraction of DNA?

Thanks

Not a link, but try finding a copy of Sambrook, Fritsch and Maniatis, Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual.

Different solubilities. Nucleic acids are more soluble in water, and thus predominate in the aqueous phase, whereas proteins prefer an organic solvent, and thus separate to the phenolic phase.

Thank you for the replies.