Abstract: Water-soluble compound derived from a homopolymer or copolymer of maleic anhydride having available anhydride functional groups and hydrolyzed anhydride functional groups, wherein the hydrolyzed anhydride functional groups consist of carboxyl functional groups and functional groups derived from carboxyl functional groups carrying a residue of a compound corresponding to the formula I:C.sub.x H.sub.y A.sub.z O.sub.tin which:A is the nitrogen atom of a primary, secondary or tertiary amine functional group or the sulfur atom of a thiol functional group,x, z and t, independently of each other, are non-zero integers, andy is a non-zero integer, not less than 5 when A is a nitrogen atom and not less than 4 when A is a sulfur atom.

Abstract: In a process for immobilization by passive fixation on a solid support of a nucleic acid fragment containing less than 100 nucleotides, the fragment is deposited on the support in the form of a derivative. The derivative results from the covalent coupling of the fragment with a ligand having a molecular mass of less than 5,000 and containing at least one polar functional group. The derivative is not capable of forming a covalent bond with the support under the conditions of the deposition. When the ligand is a nucleotide or an oligonucleotide it is at least one nucleotide modified so as to introduce the polar functional group.

Abstract: Water-soluble compound derived from a homopolymer or copolymer of maleic anhydride having available anhydride functional groups and hydrolyzed anhydride functional groups, wherein the hydrolyzed anhydride functional groups consist of carboxyl functional groups and functional groups derived from carboxyl functional groups carrying a residue of a compound corresponding to the formula I:C.sub.x H.sub.y A.sub.z O.sub.tin which:A is the nitrogen atom of a primary, secondary or tertiary amine functional group or the sulfur atom of a thiol functional group,x, z and t, independently of each other, are non-zero integers, andy is a non-zero integer, not less than 5 when A is a nitrogen atom and not less than 4 when A is a sulfur atom.

Abstract: Water-soluble compounds derived from a homopolymer or copolymer of maleic anhydride, and applications of the said compounds to supporting biological moleculesWater-soluble compound derived from a homopolymer or copolymer of maleic anhydride having available anhydride functional groups and hydrolyzed anhydride functional groups, wherein the hydrolyzed anhydride functional groups consist of carboxyl functional groups and functional groups derived from carboxyl functional groups carrying a residue of a compound corresponding to the formula I:C.sub.x H.sub.y A.sub.z O.sub.tin which:- A is the nitrogen atom of a primary, secondary or tertiary amine functional group or the sulfur atom of a thiol functional group,- x, z and t, independently of each other, are non-zero integers, and- y is a non-zero integer, not less than 5 when A is a nitrogen atom and not less than 4 when A is a sulfur atom.