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P1379

Sigma-Aldrich

TWEEN® 20

viscous liquid

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Synonym(s):
Polyethylene glycol sorbitan monolaurate, Polyoxyethylenesorbitan monolaurate
CAS Number:
MDL number:
UNSPSC Code:
12161900
NACRES:
NA.21

description

non-ionic

Quality Level

Assay

>40% (GC)

form

viscous liquid

mol wt

~1228

composition

lauric acid, ≥40% (balance primarily myristic, palmitic, and stearic acids)

concentration

≥40.0% (GC)

technique(s)

DNA extraction: suitable
RNA extraction: suitable
cell culture | mammalian: suitable
protein purification: suitable

impurities

≤3.0% water

refractive index

n20/D 1.468 (lit.)

CMC

0.06 mM (20-25°C)

acid number

≤2.2 mg/g

hydroxyl value

96‑108 mg/g

transition temp

cloud point 76 °C

density

1.095 g/mL at 25 °C (lit.)

HLB

16.7

suitability

complies for IR spectroscopy

SMILES string

CCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)OCCOCC(C1C(C(CO1)OCCO)OCCO)OCCO

InChI

1S/C26H50O10/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-24(30)34-19-18-31-20-22(32-15-12-27)26-25(35-17-14-29)23(21-36-26)33-16-13-28/h22-23,25-29H,2-21H2,1H3

InChI key

HMFKFHLTUCJZJO-UHFFFAOYSA-N

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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.
Tween® 20 is a nonionic surfactant and detergent widely applied in biochemical and life science research. Its predominant use involves the solubilization of membrane proteins during the isolation of membrane-protein complexes. Moreover, it serves as a component in various washing, blocking, dilution, and stabilization buffers. Additionally, it functions as a reagent for immunohistochemistry, encompassing techniques like Western blotting and ELISAs. In these applications, Tween® 20 plays crucial roles such as preventing non-specific antibody binding, minimizing background staining, and ensuring the even distribution of reagents.

Surfactants, possessing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic components, fall into two main categories: ionic, which ionize in water (anionic, cationic, or ampholytic), and nonionic, which do not ionize. The discussed product is a nonionic surfactant with diverse applications such as emulsification, dispersion, solubilization, and detergent use. Additionally, it can serve as a solubilizer for membrane proteins.

Application

TWEEN 20 has been used as a component of:
  • washing buffer and blocking buffer in Western blotting
  • blocking buffer in immunohistochemistry
  • washing buffer in ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay)
  • reaction mixture in PCR (polymerase chain reaction)
TWEEN 20 is a nonionic detergent widely used in biochemical applications. It has been used as an emulsifying agent for the preparation of stable oil-in-water emulsions. TWEEN 20 has been used in pre-extraction of membranes to remove peripheral proteins (used at 2% for extraction of membrane-bound proteins).
TWEEN 20 has been used as a blocking agent for membrane based immunoassays at a typical concentration of 0.05%. TWEEN 20 can be used for lysing mammalian cells at a concentration of 0.005 to 0.5%.
Non-ionic detergent

Features and Benefits

  • Highly versatile surfactant for your life science and biochemical research
  • Excellent solubilising, dispersing and emulsifying agent
  • Suitable for DNA & RNA extraction, mammalian cell culture, and protein purification

Packaging

P1379-1KT:
Each kit contains 3 x 100ML samples, each sample from a uniquely manufactured lot.

Preparation Note

TWEEN 20 is miscible in water (100mg/mL), yielding a clear, yellow solution. It is also miscible with alcohol, dioxane, and ethyl acetate. TWEEN 20 is insoluble in liquid paraffin and fixed oils.

Other Notes

For additional information on our range of Biochemicals, please complete this form.

Legal Information

TWEEN is a registered trademark of Croda International PLC

WGK

WGK 3

Flash Point(F)

527.0 °F

Flash Point(C)

275 °C

Personal Protective Equipment

dust mask type N95 (US), Eyeshields, Gloves

Certificates of Analysis (COA)

Search for Certificates of Analysis (COA) by entering the products Lot/Batch Number. Lot and Batch Numbers can be found on a product’s label following the words ‘Lot’ or ‘Batch’.

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Articles

Available Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) procedures, reagents and equipment.

Protocols

This page shows how to solubilize membrane proteins with products from Cytiva.

Our team of scientists has experience in all areas of research including Life Science, Material Science, Chemical Synthesis, Chromatography, Analytical and many others.

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