DIY Buffer Mixing

Putting the ‘chemistry’ in biochemistry

Credit to Dr. Nicholas Coleman and OpenWetWare.org for helping us develop this resource. They were often our first port of call when we needed to mix our own buffers.

Buffers:

Buffers are mixtures of chemicals that contain competing molecules which allows the liquid to resist changes in pH. We use them for nearly everything, but the prices for even the simplest buffers can be outrageous from commercial suppliers, not to mention the lead time on shipping. As such, learning to mix your own buffers can be both a time and money saver. But.

DIY buffer mixing is a different beast entirely from pouring your own plates, carrying significantly more dangers as you handle deadly compounds in their pure form. That said, it’s going to save you A LOT OF MONEY. If you’re a solo hobbyist who will struggle to source their own pure Hydrochloric acid or Guanidine Thiocyanate, I recommend you buy your buffers pre-mixed. It will cost you more, but save on headaches caused by supply chains and chemical fumes. However, if you’re in a small community lab; then mixing your own buffers can cut thousands from your budget – just be sure to suit up in your PPE!

• Water

• Tris-Cl Buffer

• Miniprep Buffer Mixing

  1. Buffer P1 (Resuspension Buffer)

  2. Buffer P2 (Lysis Buffer)

  3. Buffer N3 (Neutralisation Buffer)

  4. Buffer PB (Wash Buffer 1)

  5. Buffer PE (Wash Buffer 2)

  6. Elution Buffers (TE, EB, Water)

• Agarose Electrophoresis Buffers

  1. TAE Buffer

  2. LAB Buffer

  3. TBE Buffer

• Buffer QG (Gel Purification Buffer)

• Protein Purification Buffers

  1. Protein Wash Buffer

  2. Protein Elution Buffer

  3. Protein Storage Buffer

• SDS-PAGE Buffers

  1. SDS-PAGE 4x Loading Buffer

  2. SDS-PAGE 10x Running Buffer

  3. Coomassie Blue Staining Solution

  4. Destaining Solution