How to find the right Chemical Phenols AI guide
Written by an AI model from its trained knowledge.
What the AI looks for in Chemical Phenols
- Buffered pH for extraction
- Use acidic phenol (about pH 4–5) to keep RNA and drive DNA into the organic phase. Use Tris-saturated phenol (about pH 8) for DNA. The pH determines which nucleic acid partitions to the aqueous phase.
- Premixed formulation
- Phenol:chloroform:isoamyl alcohol 25:24:1 is the standard premix for DNA cleanup. Buying a premix cuts handling of a highly toxic reagent.
- Oxidation
- Phenol should be colorless. Discard it if pink or yellow. Store at 2–8 °C, protected from light. Oxidized phenol damages nucleic acids.
- Form
- Crystalline phenol needs melting. Liquefied phenol (about 90%) or ready-to-use buffered phenol is safer to dispense. Melting phenol raises exposure risk.
Brands that matter
- Invitrogen (Thermo Fisher): UltraPure buffered phenol and TRIzol.
- Sigma-Aldrich (MilliporeSigma): Phenol in crystalline, liquefied and saturated forms.
- VWR (Avantor): Molecular biology phenol mixtures.
- Thermo Scientific Chemicals: Reagent-grade phenol.
What to avoid
- Working with phenol without chemical-resistant gloves and a fume hood, since skin absorption can be severe
- Using unbuffered phenol for RNA or DNA extraction
- Phenol that has turned pink
Questions
Acid phenol or Tris-buffered phenol?
Acid phenol is for RNA isolation. Tris-buffered phenol around pH 8 is for DNA.