Description
Triton X-100
Triton X-100 is a common non-ionic surfactant and emulsifier which is often used in biochemical applications to solubilize proteins. A comparatively mild detergent, non-denaturing, and is reported in numerous references as a routinely added reagent including the cleaning of flow systems in FTIR and IR instrumentation. It is utilized for lysing cells to extract protein and cellular organelles. It can also permeabilize the living cell membrane for transfection and has been used for DNA extraction.
Undiluted it is a clear viscous fluid (less viscous than undiluted glycerol) and is soluble at 25 °C in water, toluene, xylene, trichloroethylene, ethylene glycol, ethyl ether, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, and ethylene dichloride. Insoluble in kerosene, mineral spirits, and naphtha, unless a coupling agent like oleic acid is use
Triton X-100 Applications
- In the permeabilization of cells for immunofluorescence staining
- is a commonly used detergent in laboratories.
- Widely used in flow systems of FTIR and IR Instruments.
- As a component of lysis buffer in western blot analysis
- As a component of Tris-buffered saline for the preparation of cell sections in Immunogold labelling for electron microscope
An extensive overview of Triton X-100 physical properties and uses can be found via this link