99%，TRIS hydrochloride CAS 1185-53-1

What is tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane hydrochloride (TRIS hydrochloride)? What are its uses?

I. What is TRIS hydrochloride?

TRIS hydrochloride, also known as tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane hydrochloride, is the hydrochloride salt of tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris). It is one of the most widely used zwitterionic biological buffers in biochemistry and molecular biology. Its chemical formula is usually written as:

C4H12ClNO3 (NH2C(CH2OH)3·HCl, CAS No.: 1185-53-1, EINECS No.: 214-684-5, molecular weight approx. 157.60)

It is a white crystalline powder at room temperature, readily soluble in water, and soluble in methanol and ethanol. It is hygroscopic. Tris-HCl is an important member of the Good's buffer family, with an effective buffering range of pH 7.0-9.0 (commonly 7.2-9.0). It has strong buffering capacity and low ionic strength, and has minimal impact on the structure of biological macromolecules, making it the preferred buffer system for maintaining the structural integrity and function of nucleic acids and proteins.

Through the buffering mechanism, Tris-HCl regulates the pH by protonation and deprotonation of amino groups. When acid is added, Tris binds H+, and when alkali is added, Tris-H+ releases H+, so it maintains the pH balance. When combined with Tris base, it can be easily used to prepare buffer solutions with different pH values. It is one of the most commonly used acid-base pairs in the preparation of buffer systems in the laboratory.

Tris-HCl is a bio-inert amino alcohol with stable properties and low toxicity, which does not interfere with most enzymatic reactions and can buffer carbon dioxide and acids both in vivo and in vitro. It should be stored in a sealed moisture-proof and light-proof environment.

This product is categorized by application area, commonly including: reagent grade/molecular biology grade (for electrophoresis and molecular biology research, high purity, free of DNase/RNase contamination), and analytical grade (for analytical testing). Different grades have different purity control requirements, focusing on the following indicators:

Moisture

Moisture affects product stability and the accuracy of ingredient addition. The product is hygroscopic and must be strictly controlled and stored in a sealed container.

Ash content of ignition residue

Ash content reflects the total amount of inorganic impurities, which affects product purity and must be controlled within a reasonable range.

UV absorbance (A260/A280)

Biological-grade products must control absorbance in the ultraviolet wavelength range to ensure that there is no background interference during electrophoresis and spectral analysis.

DNase/RNase activity and microbial limits

Molecular biology grade products must be free of DNase/RNase enzyme contamination and meet microbial limits to ensure the safety of nucleic acid experiments and cell culture.

II . What are all the uses of TRIS hydrochloride?

Tris-HCl, with its unique properties of "wide buffer range, low ionic strength, and biological inertness," is used across fields such as life sciences, consumer chemicals, and analytical testing.

1. Protein purification and chromatography buffer

Tris-HCl is employed as a buffer in preparative chromatography to aid in activity and structural stability and in studies of crystal growth.

2. Molecular biology reagents

Tris-HCl is a component of TE buffer (Tris-EDTA), lysis buffer, and preservation solution. It is used for the preservation, lysis, and sample preservation of nucleic acids (DNA/RNA) and is a commonly used buffer in molecular biology experiments.

3. Detection buffer

Tris-HCl is used as a component of blocking, washing and incubation buffers for ELISA, Western blot and fluorescence assays to help reduce nonspecific binding and maintain antibody activity.

4. Analytical chemical buffer solutions (analytical detection field)

Analytical grade Tris-HCl is used as buffer solution and component of pH standard solutions in analytical chemistry, for sample processing and detection in chromatographic, spectroscopic and electrochemical analysis, and for quality control and scientific research testing.

5. pH buffers in daily chemical products (cosmetics field)

Tris family (tromethamine) is used in cosmetics and personal care products as a pH buffer and neutraliser to help control and maintain the pH of products. It is widely used in the formulation of skin care products, hair care products and oral care products. It is a core application in the daily chemical industry.

6. Surfactant synthesis intermediates (fine chemical industry)

Tris-type surfactants are nonionic surfactants prepared by condensation of tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane and fatty acids, and are used as emulsifiers and dispersants, and serve fine chemical and daily chemical raw material industries.

7. Research and development aids for biosensing, nanomaterials and functional materials

ris-HCl is widely used in cutting-edge interdisciplinary research, applied to the development of biosensors, surface modification of nanomaterials, adsorption experiments, biocompatibility evaluation, preparation of fluorescent probes, electrochemical bioanalysis, and the development of functional polymer materials such as hydrogels.

8. Buffer reagents for testing cosmetics and personal care products (daily chemical quality control field, reagent grade)

Tris-HCl is used in the research and development and quality testing of skincare and personal care products to build a Tris buffer system, serving raw material stability testing, protein and enzyme analysis, preservative challenge testing, in vitro skin model research, active ingredient detection, and product efficacy evaluation experiments.

9. Research and Teaching Reagents (Educational Research Field)

Tris-HCl is a common basic buffer reagent used by universities, research institutes, third party testing agencies and corporate R&D laboratories. It is widely used in biochemistry teaching experiments, molecular biology research, protein electrophoresis, DNA electrophoresis, enzyme activity detection and cell-specific buffer preparation, providing support for various routine scientific research experiments for teachers, students and researchers.

10. Food and Environmental Testing Buffers (Testing Field)

Tris-HCl is used for pH control in the analysis of food, agricultural products, and environmental samples. Its applications cover food microbiology testing, food protein analysis, enzymatic detection, and environmental water sample analysis. It can also be used to prepare laboratory standard buffer solutions to support food safety supervision, water quality monitoring, and public health-related testing.

It should be noted that although Tris-HCl is of low toxicity, the dust may cause respiratory and skin irritation, and protective equipment should be worn during operation; raw materials of any grade of product are strictly prohibited from being consumed, and waste liquid must be disposed of in accordance with regulations.

Summarize

Tris hydrochloride (Tris-HCl, C4H12ClNO3, CAS No. 1185-53-1, EINECS No. 214-684-5) is a white crystalline powder, readily soluble in water. With its wide buffering range of pH 7.0-9.0, low ionic strength, and biological inertness, it is one of the most widely used zwitterionic biological buffers in biochemistry and molecular biology. In daily life, we encounter it through food testing, cosmetics, and other channels. In applications, Tris-HCl is widely used in electrophoresis buffers, chromatography buffers, molecular biology reagents, analytical chemistry buffers, daily chemical pH buffers, and surfactant synthesis intermediates, making it a versatile biological buffer that bridges the gap between "biological buffer chemistry" and "life sciences, daily chemicals, and analytical testing."