5X TBE Buffer (Tris–borate-EDTA)

Name Tris-boric acid electrophoresis buffer (5×TBE)

Specification  5X TBE (Customizable), pH 8.3 (Customizable)

Pack size: 100 mL | 200 mL | 500 mL | 1000mL (Customizable)

Store at RT, valid for 12 months.

TBE Buffer Product Introduction 

TBE buffer is a nucleic acid electrophoresis buffer salt solution commonly used in biology, mainly used for agarose gel electrophoresis of DNA. The main components of TBE are Tris-borate and EDTA, with strong buffering capacity, suitable for longer electrophoresis, higher resolution, and good separation effect when electrophoresing fragments less than 1kb.

The boric acid component in TBE buffer will affect the efficiency of DNA recovery and subsequent enzymatic reactions. To perform agarose gel electrophoresis recovery experiments of DNA fragments, it is recommended to use TAE buffer.

This product is a 5× concentrated liquid with a working concentration of 0.5×, which can be used after diluting 10 times with distilled water. If the product precipitates out, please put it in a 37℃ water bath to dissolve it, and it will not affect the use.

About TBE Buffer

Tris buffers are used under slightly basic pH conditions, as for DNA electrophoresis, because this keeps the DNA soluble in the solution and deprotonated so it will be attracted to the positive electrode and will migrate through a gel. EDTA is an ingredient in the solution because this common chelating agent protects nucleic acids from degradation by enzymes. The EDTA chelates divalent cations that are cofactors for nucleases that may contaminate the sample. However, since the magnesium cation is a cofactor for DNA polymerase and restriction enzymes, the concentration of EDTA is kept purposely low (around 1 mM concentration).

Although TBE and TAE are common electrophoresis buffers, there are other options for low-molarity conductive solutions, including lithium borate buffer and sodium borate buffer. The problem with TBE and TAE are that Tris-based buffers limit the electric field that can be used in electrophoresis because too much charge causes a runaway temperature.