TWEEN® 20 for Molecular Biology (Sigma-Aldrich)

Description

CAS number: 9005-64-5
Suitability: Suitable for molecular biology
Synonym: Polyethylene glycol sorbitan monolaurate, Polyoxyethylenesorbitan monolaurate

General description

Tween^®20 is a polyoxyethylene sorbitol ester that belongs to the polysorbate family. It is a nonionic detergent having a molecular weight of 1,225 daltons, assuming 20 ethylene oxide units, 1 sorbitol, and 1 lauric acid as the primary fatty acid. The ethylene oxide subunits are responsible for the hydrophilic nature of the surfactant, while the hydrocarbon chains provide the hydrophobic environment. Sorbitol forms the backbone ring to which the ethylene oxide polymers are attached.

Application

TWEEN 20 is a non-ionic detergent that widely used in biochemical applications. It has been used:
• As an emulsifying agent for the preparation of stable oil-in-water emulsions
• In pre-extraction of membranes to remove peripheral proteins (used at 2% for extraction of membrane-bound proteins)
• As a blocking agent for membrane-based immunoassays at a typical concentration of 0.05%
• For lysing mammalian cells at a concentration of 0.005 to 0.5%
• Along with PBS in the dilution of antibodies in immunohistochemistry technique
• For washing cells in FISH (Fluorescence in situ hybridization) technique