03/13/13

I did not go this Wednesday as my mentor had a conference that she needed to attend. However, I went ahead and decided to learn more about the substance Tris, that I always use when at the laboratory making solutes for my mentor.

Tris (aka THAM) is the abbreviation for the organic compound: tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane. It's formula is (HOCH2)3CNH2. In biochemistry--ie: the type of science my internship involves--this compound is widely used as a component of buffer solutions, especially for solutions of nucleic acids. It has an acid dissociation content (pKa) of 8.07 at 25 degrees Celsius, which implies that its effective buffer pH range is between 7.0 and 9.0.

An acid dissociation constant, Ka, (aka acidity constant, or acid-ionization constant) is a quantitative measure of the strength of an acid in a solute. It is the equilibrium for the chemical reaction: dissociation in the context of acid-base reactions. [dissociation is a process in which ionic compounds separate into smaller particles or ions] (ie: KCL <--> K+ + Cl-)

Tris inhibits a variety of enzymes and thus should be used very carefully when studying proteins. However, this compound is one of the most widely used buffers in molecular biology and cell culture as a result of its low stability, toxicity, & buffering capacity. (In addition, Tris can be obtained at a low cost, in relation to the other components used in laboratories)

Tris. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tris.