Originator
Trisaminol,Bellon,France,1964
Application
Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane is mainly required for preparation of buffers at physiological range of 7.3 to 7.5. The prepared buffers are compatible with biological fluids. It is of importance to laboratories as a standard pH solution.
Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane has been used as a buffer solution for lactate dehydrogenase assay, in situ hybridization procedure and protein extraction from cells.
Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane is used as a buffer in biochemistry and molecular biology laboratories. It is used as a primary standard to standardize acid solutions for chemical analysis. It finds application in cell membranes to increase permeability. As an alternative to sodium bicarbonate, it used in the treatment of metabolic acidosis. It acts as a precursor for the preparation of polymers, oxazolones and oxazolidines.
Definition
ChEBI: Tris is a primary amino compound that is tert-butylamine in which one hydrogen attached to each methyl group is replaced by a hydroxy group. A compound widely used as a biological buffer substance in the pH range 7--9; pKa = 8.3 at 20 ℃; pKa = 7.82 at 37 ℃. It has a role as a buffer. It is a triol and a primary amino compound. It is a conjugate base of a member of Htris.
Preparation
Tris is prepared industrially by the exhaustive condensation of nitromethane with formaldehyde under basic conditions (i.e. repeated Henry reactions) to produce the intermediate (HOCH2)3CNO2, which is subsequently hydrogenated to give the final product.
Manufacturing Process
Nitromethane is reacted with formaldehyde to give
tris(hydroxymethyl)nitromethane in an initial step. This intermediate may be
reduced by catalytic hydrogenation (US Patent 2,174,242) or by electrolytic
reduction (US Patent 2,485,982).
Brand name
Tham (Hospira).
Therapeutic Function
Antacid
General Description
Tris is an established basimetric standard and buffer used in biochemistry and molecular biology. It may be used by itself as a buffer or as a component of mixed buffer formulations, such as Tris-EDTA (TE) buffer, Tris-acetate-EDTA (TAE) buffer, Tris-borate-EDTA (TBE) buffer, etc. It is pure, essentially stable, relatively non-hygroscopic and has a high equivalent weight.
Biological Activity
Commonly used laboratory reagent
Biochem/physiol Actions
Trizma ?base, commonly known as tris is widely used as a biological buffer or as a component of buffer formulations like- Tris-EDTA (TE) buffer, Tris magnesium buffer or Tris-acetate-EDTA (TAE) buffer. It enhances the membrane permeability of cell membranes.
Purification Methods
TRIS can ordinarily be obtained in highly pure form suitable for use as an acidimetric standard. If only impure material is available, it should be crystallised from 20% EtOH, aqueous MeOH (m 171.1o) or isopropanol (m 172-173o). Dry it in a vacuum desiccator over P2O5 or CaCl2. Alternatively, it is dissolved in twice its weight of water at 55-60o, filtered, concentrated to half its volume and poured slowly, with stirring, into about twice its volume of EtOH. The crystals which separate on cooling to 3-4o are filtered off, washed with a little MeOH, air dried by suction, then finally ground and dried in a vacuum desiccator over P2O5. It has also been recrystallised from water, MeOH or aqueous MeOH, and vacuum dried at 80o for 2 days. [Beilstein 4 H 303, 4 III 857, 4 IV 1903.]
