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P7949

Sigma-Aldrich

TWEEN® 20

BioXtra, viscous liquid

Synonym(s):

Polyethylene glycol sorbitan monolaurate, Polyoxyethylenesorbitan monolaurate

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About This Item

CAS Number:
9005-64-5
MDL number:
MFCD00165986
UNSPSC Code:
12161900
NACRES:
NA.21

biological source

plant

Quality Level

300

description

non-ionic

product line

BioXtra

form

viscous liquid

mol wt

~1228

composition

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

technique(s)

blocking: suitable
cell culture | mammalian: suitable
hybridization: suitable
protein purification: suitable
transformation: suitable

impurities

≤0.05% Phosphorus (P)

ign. residue

≤0.2%

refractive index

n20/D 1.468 (lit.)

CMC

0.06 mM (20-25°C)

transition temp

cloud point 76 °C

density

1.095 g/mL at 25 °C (lit.)

anion traces

chloride (Cl-): ≤0.05%
sulfate (SO42-): ≤0.05%

cation traces

Al: ≤0.0005%
Ca: ≤0.0005%
Cu: ≤0.0005%
Fe: ≤0.0005%
K: ≤0.005%
Mg: ≤0.0005%
NH4+: ≤0.05%
Na: ≤0.05%
Pb: ≤0.001%
Zn: ≤0.0005%

HLB

16.7

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, characterized by hydrophilic and hydrophobic elements, are broadly classified as either ionic (anionic, cationic, or ampholytic) or nonionic, depending on their ionization behavior in water. The specific product in question falls into the nonionic category and finds versatile applications, including emulsification, dispersion, solubilization, and as a detergent. Notably, it can also act as a solubilizer for membrane proteins.

Application

TWEEN 20 has been used in post-hybridization wash buffer after in situ hybridization. It has been used along with PBS (phosphate buffered saline) to wash wells during ELISA and along with PBS (phosphate buffered saline) in wash buffer for immunostaining.
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
  • BioXtra grade for your sensitive applications
  • Tested for trace levels of Anions and Cations
  • Excellent solubilizing, dispersing, and emulsifying agent
  • Suitable for mammalian cell culture, protein purification, and hybridization studies

Caution

TWEEN 20 may not be stable to autoclaving, particularly with metal cations in buffer solutions. Autoclaving is not recommended without testing for changes in properties. TWEEN 20 is heat sensitive and will darken when exposed to elevated temperatures. Polysorbates have been reported to be incompatible with alkalis, heavy metal salts, phenols, and tannic acid. They may also reduce the activity of many preservatives. Aqueous solutions of polysorbates undergo autoxidation during storage, with changes being catalyzed by light, increased temperature, and copper sulfate.

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

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Legal Information

TWEEN is a registered trademark of Croda International PLC

WGK

WGK 3

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dust mask type N95 (US), Eyeshields, Gloves

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Certificates of Analysis (COA)

Lot/Batch Number

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  1. What is the percentage of Tween 20 in P7949?

    P7949 is not diluted in any solvent. Thus it can be considered "100%" or the "neat" material.If you still need to ask a question, please click the Ask a Question tab at the bottom of the page.

  2. Can Product P7949, Tween® 20, be autoclaved?

    Increased temperature can lead to autoxidation of Tween 20 in solution. Autoclaving is not recommended without testing for changes in properties. TWEEN 20 may not be stable to autoclaving, particularly with metal cations in buffer solutions. TWEEN 20 is heat sensitive; it will darken when exposed to elevated temperatures. Autoclaving is done at the customer's risk.

  3. What does "BioXtra" mean?

    "BioXtra" is the grade designation given to Sigma-Aldrich products that have been tested be low in trace metal content.

  4. The appearance of Product P7949, Tween® 20, is not colorless. Is this OK?

    The specification for P7949 is a clear yellow-green liquid.

  5. Which document(s) contains shelf-life or expiration date information for a given product?

    If available for a given product, the recommended re-test date or the expiration date can be found on the Certificate of Analysis.

  6. How do I get lot-specific information or a Certificate of Analysis?

    The lot specific COA document can be found by entering the lot number above under the "Documents" section.

  7. How do I find price and availability?

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  8. What is the Department of Transportation shipping information for this product?

    Transportation information can be found in Section 14 of the product's (M)SDS.To access the shipping information for this material, use the link on the product detail page for the product. 

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Coexpression of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 with dopamine and serotonin receptors in distinct neuronal subpopulations of the adult mouse forebrain.
Hermann H, et al.
Neuroscience, 109(3), 451-460 (2002)
Localizing transcription factors on chromatin by immunofluorescence.
Pile LA and Wassarman DA
Methods, 26(1), 3-9 (2002)
Comparison of the results obtained by ELISA and surface plasmon resonance for the determination of antibody affinity.
Heinrich L, et al.
Journal of Immunological Methods, 352(1-2), 13-22 (2010)
Jingyu Yao et al.
Autophagy, 12(12), 2439-2450 (2016-10-30)
Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway critical to preventing the accumulation of cytotoxic proteins. Deletion of the essential autophagy gene Atg5 from the rod photoreceptors of the retina (atg5Δrod mouse) results in the accumulation of the phototransduction protein transducin and
Production of hen egg yolk immunoglobulins simultaneously directed against Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium in the same egg yolk.
Chalghoumi R, et al.
Poultry Science, 87(1), 32-40 (2008)
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