What are properties of Tris?
Tris or tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane is an organic compound with chemical formula (HOCH2)3CNH2. It is widely used in biochemistry and molecular biology as a component in buffer solutions to adjust the pH of the solution or stabilize the pH, especially for solutions of nucleic acids. Its form is white crystalline powder. As Tris's pKa is strongly temperature dependent, it is not recommended to use it in biochemical processes that require consistent pH over a range of temperature. Tris's pKa is approximately 8.1 at 25℃, making it a good choice for most biological applications that has pH in the range of 7-9. Compared to other specialized buffers such as HEPES, tris is a more cost effective and more robust option. In addition, Tris is useful to increase permeability of cell membranes. It is a component of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children from age 5 to 11.
How to prepare the buffer solution?
The way to prepare tris buffer solution is by dissolving tris base in water and then adding hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid to adjust the pH. The resulting solution will be an optimal and reliable pH regulator and stabilizer in many experiment settings, for example protein biochemistry, molecular biology, enzymology and cell culture. Combined with Guanidine Thiocyanate (for cell lysis or RNA inhibition), there goes nucleic acid extraction kit.
A tragic accident that triggered major changes in suppliers
Tianjiayi Chemical used to be the main manufacturer for Tris in China. On March 21st 2019, a major explosion took place at its site. Its parent company Nijiaxiang Group went into bankruptcy process in 2023. With the falling of Tianjiayi Chemical, other Tris manufacturers took the opportunities and filled the market.