Ryan, 
while both are non-ionic surfactants/detergents, Tween 20 is milder than
than Triton X100. Tween is used extensively in detergents of all sorts (even
those you buy in the store) and in our field is used as a spreading agent
and blocking agent for immunochemistry.

Triton is used primarily for protein extraction and in whole cells or tissue
sections for membrane permeablization.

An excellent booklet on detergents for biology is available online from
CalBioChem at:

http://www.emdbiosciences.com/SharedImages/TechnicalLiterature/1_Detbooklet_
2001.pdf

Tim Morken
Lab Vision / NeoMarkers
www.labvision.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Ryan Kerney [mailto:kerney@fas.harvard.edu] 
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2003 7:04 AM
To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] Triton vs. Tween

Can anyone out there tell me when you are supposed to use tritonX instead of

tween 20 and why some protocols use both? Are they both just mild
detergents? 
What is the difference?

thanks, 

Ryan

-- 
Ryan Kerney
Department of Herpetology 
Museum of Comparative Zoology
26 Oxford St. 
Cambridge, MA
02138

Office: 617-496-4065
Lab:    617-496-4632







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