Tricine

Not to be confused with Tricin.

Tricine
IUPAC name N-(2-Hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxymethyl)ethyl)glycine
Other names Tricine N-(Tri(hydroxymethyl)methyl)glycine
Identifiers
CAS number	5704-04-1
PubChem	79784
ChemSpider	72078 Y
ChEBI	CHEBI:46759 Y
Jmol-3D images	Image 1
SMILES O=C(O)CNC(CO)(CO)CO
InChI InChI=1S/C6H13NO5/c8-2-6(3-9,4-10)7-1-5(11)12/h7-10H,1-4H2,(H,11,12) Y Key: SEQKRHFRPICQDD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y InChI=1/C6H13NO5/c8-2-6(3-9,4-10)7-1-5(11)12/h7-10H,1-4H2,(H,11,12) Key: SEQKRHFRPICQDD-UHFFFAOYAK
Properties
Molecular formula	C6H13NO5
Molar mass	179.17 g/mol
Exact mass	179.079373
Melting point	182-184 °C (dec.)
Y (verify) (what is: Y/N?) Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Tricine is an organic compound that is used in buffer solutions. The name tricine comes from tris and glycine from which it was derived.^[1] It is a zwitterionic amino acid with a useful buffering range of pH 7.4-8.8. It is a white crystalline powder that is moderately soluble in water. It has a pH of 4.4-5.2; its pKa₁ at 25 °C is 2.3, while its pKa₂ at 20 °C is 8.15.^[1] Along with bicine, it is one of Good's buffering agents. Good first prepared tricine to buffer chloroplast reactions.

Applications

Tricine is a commonly used electrophoresis buffer and is also used in resuspension of cell pellets. It has a lower negative charge than glycine allowing it to migrate faster. In addition its high ionic strength causes more ion movement and less protein movement. This allows for low molecular weight proteins to be separated in lower percent acrylamide gels. Tricine has been documented in the separation of proteins in the range of 1 to 100 kDa by electrophoresis.^[2] The tricine buffer at 25 mmol/L was found to be the most effective buffer among the ten tested for ATP assays using firefly luciferase.^[3] Tricine has also been found to be an effective scavenger of hydroxyl radicals in a study of radiation-induced membrane damage.^[4]

See also

• SDS-PAGE
• Ampholyte
• Glycine
• Bicine

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Good, N.E., et al., Biochemistry, v. 5, 467 (1966).
2. ^ Schaegger, H., and von Jagow, G., "Tricine-sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for the separation of proteins in the range from 1 to 100 kDa." "Anal. Biochem." 166(2), 368-379.
3. ^ Webster, J. J., and Leach, F. R., "Optimization of the firefly luciferase assay for ATP." "J. Appl. Biochem.", 2:469-479.
4. ^ Hicks, M., and Gebicki, J. M., "Rate constants for reaction of hydroxyl radicals with Tris, Tricine, and Hepes buffers." "FEBS Lett.", 199(1):92-94.