Detergents are ampiphilic substances containing at least one hydrophilic (polar) and one hydrophobic (lipophilic, non-polar) functional group. According to the ionic character of the polar group, they are classified as ionic (positively or negatively charged), non-ionic (uncharged) or zwitterionic (positively and negatively charged) detergents. You will find further information about properties and applications of detergents in our section Information Center.

Detergents are components of lysis buffers, wash buffers for Western Blots and ELISA. They are used for solubilization, stabilization, reconstitution and crystallization of proteins. Substances used for these applications like e.g. SDS, sodium deoxycholate or Tween 20 are application-tested in our QC and hence guarantee best results.

To achieve optimal solubilisation of proteins and protein complexes in proteome analysis, the quality of the detergents used is crucial. The detergents offered by SERVA for this purpose, such as CHAPS and Tergitol™ 15-S-9 (as an alternative to Triton X-100), have been tested by our application specialists for their suitability for sample preparation in 2D gel electrophoresis.