A good biological buffer should have these characteristics

 

There are many types of biological buffering agents that can be used in different experimental projects. How to choose a suitable buffering agent for one's own experiment has been introduced before. Today we will learn about the characteristics of a good biological buffer. I believe that after reading this article, it will be more beneficial for everyone to choose a suitable biological buffer.

 

1. Temperature and concentration changes have little effect on dissociation

Usually, buffer solutions undergo some changes in dissociation with changes in temperature and concentration. If this change is small, the reserve solution can be diluted without changing the pH value of the buffer. But if there is a significant change in pKa concentration, it will affect the normal operation of the experiment.

 

2. Exclusion of biofilms

If this is an important criterion for a specific experiment, zwitterionic buffer solutions (positive and negative charges on different atoms within the molecule) can be considered first because they do not penetrate the biofilm. Common zwitterionic buffer solutions include MOPS and HEPES.

 

3. The impact of salt is relatively small

In other words, the composition of the buffer should not interact or affect the ions involved in the biochemical reaction being explored.

 

4. Water solubility

Since most biological reactions occur in aquatic environments, the buffer should be water-soluble.

 

5. PKa is between 6 and 8

Most biochemical experiments have a good pH value in the range of 6-8, and choosing a buffer in this range is more conducive to the experiment.

 

6. Chemical stability

The buffer is stable and does not malfunction under working conditions. It should not be oxidized or affected by the system using it. Try to avoid using buffers containing reactive participants (such as metabolites) as much as possible.

 

7. Light absorption

The buffer should not absorb ultraviolet light of wavelengths that can be used for reading in photometric experiments.

 

8. Easy to use

The buffer composition should be easily obtained and prepared.

 

No matter which buffer solution you choose, you need to consider the impact of temperature and environment on the buffer solution. The points listed above are for reference only. When using it, you should ensure that the selected buffer solution is compatible with the experimental system. Desheng is a manufacturer of biological buffers and can provide various commonly used buffer raw materials such as TRIS, HEPES, MOPS, BICINE, etc. Feel free to contact us if you need to purchase!