The uses of Bis-Tris Buffer - A starting guide
Bis-Tris is one of the most popular zwitterionic biological buffers and it is often used in biological and biochemical research. Although Bis-Tris is not officially a Good’s buffer, its structure is very similar to the buffers developed by Norman E. Good.
The origin of the name Bis-Tris comes from its structure. Unlike most of the other available biological buffers, Bis-Tris’ has functional groups related to two different structural families: the Bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amine family and the Tris family.
We analyzed the scientific literature available to make a list of how Bis-Tris has been used and which concerns you should have before using it.
Bis-Tris Buffer basic information:
- CAS Number: 6976-37-0
- Molecular Weight: 209.2g/mol
- Formula: C8H19NO5
- Useful ph range: 5.8 – 7.2
- pKa (25°C): 6.46
What is Bis-Tris recommended for?
- Used as a buffer for anion exchange chromatography1
- Used as a running buffer, gel buffer and sample buffer with different types of electrophoresis2,3
- Used with ACES as a running buffer for gel electrophoresis (Bis-Tris/ACES)4
- Used for agarose gel electrophoresis5
Which concerns should you have before choosing Bis-Tris for your research?
- It forms a strong complex with Pb2+ and Cu2+ and a has a weak interaction with other common metals
- It is not suitable for use with the Bicinchoninic Acid (BCA) Assay.
- It interacts with human liver fatty acid binding protein (FAB) and affects protein dynamics6
Useful tips about Bis-Tris:
- It is highly soluble in water
- It is considered a good alternative to cacodylate, a highly toxic buffer
- It is considered a good alternative to maleic acid, a buffer with high UV-absorption
- It is considered a good alternative to citrate, a buffer that binds to some proteins and forms complexes with some metals
Further reading:The uses of Tris buffer - A starting guide
Hopax Bis-Tris Buffer
Hopax Fine Chemicals is among the largest producers of Bis-Tris in the world. Our products are shipped daily to top research centers and biotech companies in Europe, America and Asia.
What we offer:
- Product straight from our manufacturing sites
- Worldwide shipping to your door
- Assistance with shipping
- Small and bulk packages (from grams to tons)
- International quality standards
- After-sales service with English speaking staff
References:
1 Donoghue, M., Hsieh, F., Baronas, E., Godbout, K., Gosselin, M., Stagliano, N., Donovan, M., Woolf, B., Robison, K., Jeyaseelan, R., Breitbart, R.E., & Acton, S. (2000). A novel angiotensin-converting enzyme–related carboxypeptidase (ACE2) converts angiotensin I to angiotensin 1-9. Circulation Research, 87(5)
2 Nijtmans, L. G., Henderson, N. S., & Holt, I. J. (2002). Blue Native electrophoresis to study mitochondrial and other protein complexes. Methods, 26(4), 327-334
3 Klampfl, C. W., Katzmayr, M. U., & Buchberger, W. (1998). Separation of inorganic and organic anions by capillary zone electrophoresis with simultaneous indirect UV and conductivity detection. Electrophoresis, 19(14), 2459-2464
4 Liu, Q., Li, X., & Sommer, S.S. (1999). pK-matched running buffers for gel electrophoresis. Anal. Biochem., 270(1), 112-122
5 Thevis, M., Loo, R. R. O., & Loo, J. A. (2003). In-gel derivatization of proteins for cysteine-specific cleavages and their analysis by mass spectrometry. J. Proteome Res., 2(2), 163-172
6 Long, D., & Yang, D. (2009). Buffer interference with protein dynamics: a case study on human liver fatty acid binding protein. Biophysical Journal, 96(4), 1482-1488
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