Tromethamine
Tromethamine is a widely used ingredient in cosmetics, personal care, and skincare formulations. Depending on its function, it may serve as a moisturizer, preservative, emulsifier, or active ingredient to enhance the overall effectiveness and performance of a product.
Tris, or tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane, or known during medical use as tromethamine or THAM, is an organic compound with the formula (HOCH2)3CNH2. It is extensively used in biochemistry and molecular biology as a component of buffer solutions such as in TAE and TBE buffers, especially for solutions of nucleic acids. It contains a primary amine and thus undergoes the reactions associated with typical amines, e.g., condensations with aldehydes. Tris also complexes with metal ions in solution. In medicine, tromethamine is occasionally used as a drug, given in intensive care for its properties as a buffer for the treatment of severe metabolic acidosis in specific circumstances. Some medications are formulated as the "tromethamine salt" including Hemabate (carboprost as trometamol salt), and "ketorolac trometamol". In 2023 a strain of Pseudomonas hunanensis was found to be able to degrade TRIS buffer.
propane-1,3-diol_200.svg) | |
| Names | |
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| Preferred IUPAC name
2-Amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)propane-1,3-diol | |
| Other names
TRIS, Tris, Tris base, Tris buffer, Trizma, Trisamine, THAM, Tromethamine, Trometamol, Tromethane, Trisaminol, Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane
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3D model (JSmol)
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| DrugBank | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.000.969 |
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PubChem CID
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CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
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| Properties | |
| C4H11NO3 | |
| Molar mass | 121.136 g·mol−1 |
| Appearance | White crystalline powder |
| Density | 1.328g/cm3 |
| Melting point | >175-176 °C (448-449 K) |
| Boiling point | 219 °C (426 °F; 492 K) |
| ~50 g/100 mL (25 °C) | |
| Acidity (pKa) | 8.07 (conjugate acid) |
| Pharmacology | |
| B05BB03 (WHO) B05XX02 (WHO) | |
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| Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH): | |
Main hazards
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Irritant |
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| Warning | |
| H315, H319, H335 | |
| P261, P264, P271, P280, P302+P352, P304+P340, P305+P351+P338, P312, P332+P313, P362, P403+P233, P405 | |
| NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |
| Flash point | Non-flammable |
| Safety data sheet (SDS) | External MSDS |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Since Tris' pKa is more strongly temperature dependent, its use is not recommended in biochemical applications requiring consistent pH over a range of temperatures. Moreover, the temperature dependance of the pKa (and in turn buffer solution pH) makes pH adjustment difficult. (E.g., the 'room temperature' pH adjustment would not translate to 'measurement conditions' pH, unless care is taken to calculate the effect of temperature, see below.)
