Histonetters,

It's my understanding that the optimal detergent concentration is its critical 
micelle concentration.  Histonetters, I ask you, is this correct?  Seems right 
to me, but I'm always glad to hear others ideas.

Anyway, the Sigma catalog has a wonderful little table of critical micelle 
concentrations (see biological detergents).  For Tween 20, the critical micelle 
concentration is 0.06 mM, which (if I've done my math correctly) is about 
0.007%.  So I always use .005-.01% for this detergent.

Karen Larison - University of Oregon


Date:          Thu, 11 Mar 1999 08:30:55 -0500 (Eastern Standard Time)
From:          rschoonh@sph.unc.edu
Subject:       Re: IHC Question
To:            Patsy.Ruegg@UCHSC.edu, histonet@pathology.swmed.edu

Patsy,

I routinely add Tween 20 to my wash buffer but not BSA.  I do use 1% BSA in my
antibody dilution buffers but not Tween 20.  I have also noticed that
concentrations of Tween 20 noted in the literature varies from 0.05% to 1.0%, I
have always used 1.0% with no problems but I'm interseted in what others are
using and why.

-- Begin original message --
> 
> I have been having trouble with non-specific background staining and have
> gone to putting acetylated BSA in my wash buffer, which helps.  My question
> is:  is there any reason not to also put the TWEEN in the wash buffer, it
> seems that I read something a while back suggesting that they should not be
> used together??????
> Patsy Ruegg
> 
> 

-- End original message --

best regards,
Bob
Robert Schoonhoven
Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis and Mutagenesis
Dept. of Environmental Sciences and Engineering
University of North Carolina
CB#7400
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Phone 
office 919-966-6343
   Lab 919-966-6140
   Fax 919-966-6123 

**Suppose you were an idiot... And suppose you were a member of Congress ...
But I repeat myself.-Mark Twain**