ACES is a zwitterionic buffering agent used in biochemistry and molecular biology that was first selected and described by Good et al. It is an acetamido buffer that is useful for a pH range of 6.1 – 7.5. ACES is used as buffering component in cell culture media, in both agarose and polyacrylamide electrophoresis, and in isoelectric focusing of proteins. ACES forms a complex with most common metals and formation constants should be taken into account when using this buffer in a solution containing metal ions. ACES absorbs UV light at 230 nm.

ADA is a zwitterionic buffering agent used in biochemistry and molecular biology that was first selected and described by Good et al. It is an acetamido buffer that is useful for a pH range of 6.0 – 7.2. ADA forms a complex with most common metals and stability constants should be taken into account when using this buffer. It has been used as a complexing agent to effectively help remove contaminant metals from soil. ADA absorbs UV light between 0.1 and 260 nm. Solubility of ADA increases if the free acid is converted to the sodium salt with NaOH.

BES is a zwitterionic buffering agent used in biochemistry and molecular biology that was first selected and described by Good et al. It is a bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amine buffer that is useful for a pH range of 6.4 – 7.8. It is soluble in water at 0°C up to 3.2M. Like most neutral, amine-based buffers, BES forms a complex with DNA. It interferes with reactions between DNA and restriction enzymes to a lesser extent than similar buffers with less substituted amine groups, such as Tris. This lack of interference occurs because steric hindrance of the protonated tertiary amine in BES shields the negative charge of DNA to a lesser extent than less substituted buffers. BES can be used in a buffered saline solution in the calcium phosphate mediated transfection of eukaryotic cells with plasmid DNA. BES also forms a complex with certain metals, including copper and cobalt. Though BES binds to coppers ions, it is still suitable for use with the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay. Diminished protein-induced color development can be accounted for or even eliminated by precipitating protein prior to reaction with bicinchoninic acid.

Bicine is a buffering agent used in biochemistry and molecular biology that was selected and described by Good et al. It is a zwitterionic, bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amine buffer that is useful for a pH range of 7.6 – 9.0. It is commonly used in protein crystallization, in the study of enzymatic reactions, and for electrophoresis. It is used in thin layer ion exchange chromatography for protein resolution, as well as a multiphasic buffer system for SDS-PAGE of proteins. It is soluble in water at 0°C up to 1.1 M. Bicine forms a complex with most common metals so stability constants and concentrations should be taken into consideration when choosing this buffer.

Bis-Tris, also known as bis-Tris methane, is a zwitterionic buffering agent used in biochemistry and molecular biology. It is a bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amine and Tris family buffer that is useful for a pH range of 5.8 – 7.2. Bis Tris is a common component of many buffer systems for various types of electrophoresis. Bis-Tris may form a complex with some common metals, such as Cu(II) and Pb(II), and formation constants should be taken into account when using this buffer in a solution containing metal ions. Bis-Tris can be used as a substitute for the highly toxic buffer cacodylate.

CAPS is a zwitterionic buffering agent used in biochemistry and molecular biology. It is a cyclohexylamine buffer that is useful for a pH range of 9.7 – 11.1 and commonly used to study enzymatic processes above physiological pH. CAPS is an excellent buffer for the transfer of high molecular weight proteins to nitrocellulose membranes after SDS-PAGE. It is also used in protein sequencing. CAPS displays only weak or negligible complexation capabilities for some metals making it a suitable non-coordinating buffer for use in solutions containing metal ions. CAPS is suitable for use with the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay.

CHES is a zwitterionic buffering agent used in biochemistry and molecular biology. It is a cyclohexylamine buffer that is useful for a pH range of 8.6 – 10.0 and commonly used to study enzymatic processes above physiological pH. CHES displays only weak or negligible complexation capabilities for some metals making it a suitable non-coordinating buffer for use in most solutions containing metal ions. CHES displays high affinity for the iodoacetate binding site of liver alcohol dehydrogenase, protecting the enzyme from inactivation by iodoacetic acid.

HEPES is a buffering agent used in biochemistry and molecular biology that was selected and described by Good et al. It is a zwitterionic, piperazinic buffer that is useful for a pH range of 6.8 – 8.2. HEPES lacks the ability to form a significant complex with most metal ions and is recommended for use as a non-coordinating buffer in solutions with metal ions.

HEPES sodium salt is a buffering agent used in biochemistry and molecular biology that was selected and described by Good et al. It is a zwitterionic, piperazinic buffer that is useful for a pH range of 6.8 – 8.2. HEPES lacks the ability to form a significant complex with most metal ions and is recommended for use as a non-coordinating buffer in solutions with metal ions. It is commonly used in cell culture media and as an ampholytic separator to create a pH gradient in isoelectric focusing. HEPES interferes with reactions between DNA and restriction enzymes to a lesser extent than similar buffers with less substituted amine groups, such as Tris. This lack of interference occurs because steric hindrance of the protonated tertiary amine in HEPES shields the negative charge of DNA to a lesser extent than less substituted buffers. This buffer is capable of forming radicals and is therefore not suitable for redox reactions. It is suitable for use in the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay.

HEPPSO is a buffering agent used in biochemistry and molecular biology that was selected and described by Good et al. It is a zwitterionic, piperazinic buffer that is useful for a pH range of 7.1 – 8.5. It is commonly used as an ampholytic separator to create a pH gradient in isoelectric focusing. HEPPSO displays no toxicity for crustaceans with which it has been studied and has been deemed suitable for toxicological studies. This buffer is capable of forming radicals and is therefore not suitable for redox reactions. HEPPSO forms a complex with Cu(II) ions so stability constants and concentrations should be taken into consideration when using this buffer in a solution containing copper ions. Though HEPPSO binds to coppers ions, it is still suitable for use with the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay. Diminished protein-induced color development can be accounted for or even eliminated by precipitating protein prior to reaction with bicinchoninic acid.

MES monohydrate is a buffering agent used in biochemistry and molecular biology that was selected and described by Good et al. It is a zwitterionic, morpholinic buffer that is useful for a pH range of 5.5 – 6.7 and commonly used for cell culture media, as a running buffer in electrophoresis, and for protein purification in chromatography. MES lacks the ability to form a complex with most metal ions and is recommended for use as a non-coordinating buffer in solutions with metal ions.

MES is a buffering agent used in biochemistry and molecular biology that was selected and described by Good et al. It is a zwitterionic, morpholinic buffer that is useful for a pH range of 5.5 – 6.7 and commonly used for cell culture media, as a running buffer in electrophoresis, and for protein purification in chromatography. MES lacks the ability to form a complex with most metal ions and is recommended for use as a non-coordinating buffer in solutions with metal ions. MES is often used in buffered culture media for bacteria, yeast, and mammalian cells. It is toxic towards plants at high concentrations, but can be used in culture media at lower concentrations for plants. Due to low ionic mobility, MES is regarded as an excellent buffer for use in capillary electrochromatography. MES is often employed as a substitute for the highly toxic cacodylate, as well as a substitute for the non-zwitterionic buffers citrate and malate. MES complexes with some organotin(IV) molecules that are being explored as antitumor agents.