RNeasy Mini Kit low 260/230 ratio -- can I purify this RNA for further use? I used Qiagen's RNeasy Mini Kit to isolate RNA from 5*10^5 C28/I2 (immortalized human chondrocytes). However, my yield is low (~25 ng/ul), but my 260/280 ratio is great (~2.3), and my 260/230 ratio is tragic (~0.06). I have already thrown the spin column away, but I would like to know 1) if I could raise my 260/230 ratio for the 40 ul of RNA I extracted, and 2) if I could precipitate the RNA out of solution so as to make a more concentrated solution. Please let me know if further details are necessary. Thanks!

RNAeasy kit will not usually give phenolic contamination. Your poor 260/230 is perhaps because of low yield; check the absolute absorbance values. Low 260/230 (and low yield) also happens because of improper lysis. I would advise that you do the cell lysis using more effective methods. I would not advise another phenol-chloroform or alcohol precipitation step- you will lose your RNA. With what you have now, run a little bit on the gel to see the integrity. Also try heating the dissolved RNA at 65-70deg for 10-15min and measure OD again (use nanodrop or a similar device)