The key difference between tris and tris base is that the term tris refers to any compound containing the chemical formula C4H11NO3 in association with some other molecule whereas tris base is a chemical compound containing the chemical formula C4H11NO3.
Both terms tris and tris base refer to closely similar chemical compounds which have the chemical formula C4H11NO3 and chemical name tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane. These two terms differ from each other according to the molecules that are associated with them.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Tris
3. What is Tris Base
4. Side by Side Comparison – Tris vs Tris Base in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Tris?
The term tris refers to any compound containing the tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane group. Usually, tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane itself is named as “tris base”, but there can be some other groups associated with this group. For example, tris HCl contains tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane in association with an HCl molecule. Tris HCl is an organic compound that is often used in buffer solutions such as TAE and TBE. This compound is highly water-soluble. This compound works better in a pH range from 7.0 to 9.0. It can be used in the preparation of Laemmli buffer, which is used in SDS-PAGE buffers.
Figure 01: Chemical Structure of Tris Molecule
What is Tris Base?
Tris base or tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane is a chemical compound having the chemical formula C4H11NO3. We can abbreviate this compound as THAM. Tris base is an organic compound that is important as a component in the buffer solutions TAE and TBE buffers.
Tris base contains a primary amine group. Therefore this compound can undergo reactions that are typical to primary amine compounds; for example, tris base can undergo condensation reactions with aldehydes. The basic properties of tris base come from its amine group. The molar mass of tris base is 121.14 g/mol, and it appears a white crystalline powder at room temperature and pressure. Furthermore, the melting point of this compound is around 176 °C, and the boiling point is 219 °C.
The effective pH range of the tris base is between 7.5 to 9.0. This is due to the fact that the pKa of conjugated acid of this compound is at 25oC is 8.07. Furthermore, this buffer can inhibit certain enzymes by changing the pH. Tris base can be prepared industrially via the condensation of nitromethane with formaldehyde under basic conditions.
What is the Difference Between Tris and Tris Base?
Both terms tris and tris base refer to closely similar chemical compounds which have the chemical formula C4H11NO3 and chemical name tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane. The key difference between tris and tris base is that the term tris refers to any compound containing the chemical formula C4H11NO3 in association with some other molecule whereas tris base is the chemical compound containing the chemical formula C4H11NO3.
Below is a summary tabulation of the difference between tris and tris base
Summary – Tris vs Tris Base
Both terms tris and tris base refer to closely similar chemical compounds which have the chemical formula C4H11NO3 and chemical name tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane. The key difference between tris and tris base is that the term tris refers to any compound containing the chemical formula C4H11NO3 in association with some other molecule whereas tris base is the chemical compound containing the chemical formula C4H11NO3.
Reference:
1. “Tris.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Apr. 2020, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)propane-1,3-diol 200” By Emeldir (talk) – Own work, Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia