Technical Support

Catalog Entry Information

• Chemical Abstracts Registry (CAS) numbers
• Stereochemistry
• Batch numbers
• Molecular weights
• Weighing accuracies

Chemical Abstracts Registry (CAS) numbers

The Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) number is a unique identification code assigned to a chemical substance by the American Chemical Society. While these are given as accurately as possible they may not always reflect the salt or level of hydration of the product supplied.

Stereochemistry

Where specific stereochemistry is indicated in a diagram, the product is supplied in the conformation shown. When products are supplied as mixtures of stereoisomers, for clarity only one form is shown. The existence of both enantiomers in a product is indicated by the notation 'and enantiomer'.

Batch numbers

Batch numbers can be found at the top of the product data sheet, or on the vial label, as a 1, 2 or 3 digit number, to the left of a letter. The numbers to the right of this letter are for internal use only. For example, in the case 15A/466444, 15 identifies the batch number.

Molecular weights

The molecular weight displayed in the catalog and website represents the product as shown by the chemical structure.

Weighing accuracies

The quantity of compound supplied in our vials is not weighed to the accuracy required for direct solution preparation unless specifically stated on the product datasheet. It is the responsibility of the individual researcher to accurately reweigh the compound in order to obtain solutions of defined concentration.

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Vial Labels

1. Catalog number

This is a four digit number that identifies each product.

2. Unit size

The quantity of compound supplied in our vials is not weighed to the accuracy required for direct solution preparation unless specifically stated on the product datasheet. It is the responsibility of the individual researcher to accurately reweigh the compound in order to obtain solutions of defined concentration.

3. Product name

This will be the name by which the product is most commonly known.

4. Batch numbers

The batch number is the first number (in this case 4). The subsequent letter and number sequence (in this case B99046) are for internal use only.

5. Molecular weight

Product molecular weights are subject to batch variations. Customers should always use the molecular weight stated on the vial label and accompanying product datasheet. Variations between batches should make no difference to the basic pharmacological properties of the products.

6. Storage conditions

Due to the novelty of many of our products, information concerning product stability has rarely been reported and in most cases we can only offer a general guide. When information is known we do our best to publish this on the vial labels and datasheets that accompany our products. Short periods of higher temperature, (>1 week) that may occur during shipping, will not significantly affect product life or efficacy.

7. Caution

All Tocris products are intended for laboratory use only. They must not be used for human, food, cosmetic, agricultural, domestic or any other use whatsoever.

Product Appearance

Some products, especially those sold in small quantities and/or lyophilized, are transparent. This can make the product appear as a clear, thin film on the bottom and walls of the vial and may not be readily visible without careful scrutiny.

Solubility

• Stock solutions
• Solubility information
• Making solutions as molar equivalents
• Peptide solubility
• Tocriset solubility
• Tocriset stock solutions

Stock solutions

Stock solutions should be made up using the molecular weight of the product as stated on the vial label (the same figure is on the accompanying product datasheet). The Tocris Molarity Calculator is a useful tool to help you make up stock solutions.

Solubility information

Solubility information for any product can be found on our website and the product datasheet.

Making solutions as molar equivalents

Aqueous solutions of some amino acids can be difficult to achieve, so a common technique is to use 1 molar equivalent (1eq.) of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as a solubility aid.

We generally recommend that a 100 mM sodium hydroxide solution is used to dissolve the active compound.

Take the molecular weight (M.W.) of the compound as detailed on the vial label and data sheet and calculate the amount in grams (M.W./10) is required to form a 100 mM solution when 1L solvent is added (X). From this, calculate the amount in grams required to form a 100 mM solution when 1 ml solvent is added (X/1000). 1 ml of the NaOH stock solution prepared above can now be added to this weight to dissolve the compound. In some cases warming of the solution or sonication may aid solubilisation.

Below is a working example:

This solution can then be further diluted (with water) to the required concentration.

Peptide solubility

Most peptides are soluble in distilled water. If they do not completely dissolve, the addition of 1.0 M acetic acid for basic peptides (those containing Arg, Lys, His), or 1.0 M ammonium hydroxide for acidic peptides (those containing Asp, Glu) may help. Solubilization of extremely insoluble peptides can be assisted with 10% DMSO or DMF, although the use of these may interfere with some biological assays. Sonication can also be a useful aid. It is recommended that the peptide be dissolved to the highest possible concentration and then diluted with water or buffer to the working concentration. Buffer should only be added when the peptide is completely dissolved as salts may otherwise cause aggregation.

Tocriset solubility

Detailed solubility instructions, including suitable solvents, are provided in the Tocriset booklet. This can also be downloaded as a PDF.

Tocriset stock solutions

Each Tocriset has been designed so that 0.5 or 1 ml of a solvent can be added directly to each vial to produce a stock solution of 10 or 5 mM, respectively.

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Purity

The purity quoted in the catalog entry for each product is the minimum content of the active ingredient that any given batch will contain. For definitive analytical data on any product there are three authoritative sources: the batch specific datasheet provided with the product, the product vial label, and the batch specific Certificate of Analysis (CoA) which can be accessed using the 'view current batch' or 'specific/earlier batch' facility on individual product pages of the website.

Minor batch to batch variation, which has no effect on the overall biological properties of the material, may take place due to manufacture whereby small and unpredictable changes in the degree of hydration of the product, or a change in the nature of the salt counter ion often occur. Consequently solutions should only be made up using batch specific information derived from the three authoritative sources detailed above.

Bioactive chemical purity

Tocris bioactive chemicals are of high purity, typically > 99% by HPLC. For purity of an individual product please consult the Certificate of Analysis (COA).

Peptide purity

Unless otherwise stated, peptides supplied by Tocris have a purity of > 95%. For purity of an individual product please consult the Certificate of Analysis (COA).

Product sterility

Tocris products are not weighed out under sterile conditions, and should not be treated as such. If required, sterile solutions can be prepared by subsequent filtration.

Quality control

Chemical purity is assessed using an array of techniques including HPLC, chiral HPLC, NMR, microanalysis, high voltage electrophoresis, melting point, optical rotation, TLC, and mass spectrometry as appropriate. All data is kept on file and available for inspection on request - please contact Technical Support for details. In all cases we believe that the purity of any material supplied by Tocris will match or exceed the purity of the product originally reported in the scientific literature.

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Stability and Storage

• Bioactive chemical stability and storage
• Antibody stability and storage
• Tocrisolve stability and storage
• Peptide stability and storage
• Short periods of high temperature

Bioactive chemical stability and storage

Due to the novelty of many of our products, information concerning product stability has rarely been reported and in most cases we can only offer a general guide. When information is known we do our best to publish this in the catalog or on the data sheets that accompany our products. Our standard storage recommendations are as follows:

Solid: Provided storage is as stated on the product vial and the vial is kept tightly sealed, the product can be stored for up to 6 months.

Solution: We recommend that stock solutions, once prepared, are stored as aliquots in tightly sealed vials at -20°C. Generally, these will be useable for up to one month. Wherever possible, solutions should be made up and used on the same day. Before use, and prior to opening the vial, it is recommended that the product be allowed to stand at room temperature for at least 60 minutes.

In all cases refer to the datasheet as conditions vary for different products.

Antibody stability and storage

Antibodies should be stored at -20°C. Avoid storage in a frost-free freezer, as changes in moisture and temperature may affect stability. Stored under these conditions, the antibody will be stable for 6 months. To aliquot the antibody, to ensure maximum recovery we suggest the following: block the new vials by filling with a solution of sterile 10% w/v Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) for a minute, aspirate and then aliquot the antibody. Note that all our affinity-purified antibodies are supplied in buffer containing freeze-thaw protectants, which should remove the requirement for aliquoting.

Tocrisolve stability and storage

Tocrisolve products must not be stored at -20°C as freezing has an adverse effect on the stability of the formulation. Provided that the vial is kept tightly sealed, protected from exposure to light and stored at +4°C, the product should be stable for 1 month from the date of dispatch.

Peptide stability and storage

Peptides are provided in lyophilized form and should be stored dessicated at -20°C. Long-term storage of peptides in solution is not recommended.

Short periods of high temperature

Short periods at higher temperatures than recommended (periods < 1 week), such as can occur during shipping, will not significantly affect product life or efficacy.

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Safety

• Safety information
• Ampoule/glass vial opening instructions
• Product use

Safety information

Every possible precaution should be taken when handling, using, storing or disposing of any research chemical supplied by Tocris. We will, so far as we are able, provide all possible advice and assistance to customers concerning the safe handling of our products. As research chemicals, the potential hazards are often not known and an absence of warning does not mean that no hazard exists. It is the users' responsibility to ensure that relevant safety precautions are taken at all times.

Product Material Safety Datasheets are supplied with all products and contain information relating to their safe handing. Additional copies are readily available on our website and from Technical Support.

Ampoule/glass vial opening instructions

The majority of our products are supplied in glass vials with a screw top lid. During transit, material may accumulate in the vial top. This can be dislodged by gently tapping the vial before opening. In contrast, some of our products are shipped in glass ampoules - caution must be exercised when opening these. We recommend wearing gloves and safety goggles. To open, cover the ampoule with a cloth and place thumbs on score line; apply gentle pressure away from the body and snap the vial open. Products classified as very toxic are supplied in screw top bio-tubes.

Product use

All our products are intended for laboratory use only. They must not under any circumstances be used for human, drug, food, cosmetic, agricultural, domestic or any purpose. They should only be used by trained scientists working under controlled conditions who are familiar with the potential hazards.

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Material Safety Datasheets (MSDS) and Certificates of Analysis (COA)

Copies of the Product Material Safety Datasheets (MSDS) and Certificates of Analysis (COA) are included with each individual product when shipped. They are also available on-line, to find them locate the relevant product information page. The default MSDS and COA is always for the batch currently on sale, to view earlier batches simply select from the drop down box.

Antibodies

• Antibody shipping
• Blocking peptides
• Blocking peptide use
• Antibody incubation
• Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA)
• Sodium azide
• Antibody applications
• Cross-reactivity

Antibody shipping

Due to their temperature sensitive nature, Tocris antibodies require special processing, delivery and packaging with ice packs. Orders containing one or more antibodies will incur additional shipping costs. For further details please view our delivery charges from Tocris Bioscience or contact customer service.

Blocking peptides

Blocking peptides can be used to show the specificity of antibodies as they specifically block antibody and antigen interactions in Western immunoblotting. Blocking peptides may be purchased separately as catalog items, subject to product listing and availability.

Blocking peptide use

It is recommended that the blocking peptide is used at 100-500 fold molar excess to antibody.

Antibody incubation

Many protocols incubate antibodies for 1 hour at 37°C to save time. However, we recommend an overnight incubation at 4°C to help prolong the antibody and antigen interaction and obtain an optimal signal to noise ratio. Low temperature incubations can also minimize problems with lower affinity antibodies such as those discriminating between phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms of the target protein.

Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA)

Tocris antibodies do not posses any risk of livestock disease. The glycerol used as a freeze-thaw protectant is synthetic and most of our antibody buffers contain Trehelose rather than BSA as a stabilizing agent. Where BSA is used in a buffer, it has been sourced from countries certified as free from prion disease.

Sodium azide

Sodium azide is added to Tocris antibodies to aid long-term storage of antibodies. Sodium azide however, strongly inhibits horseradish peroxidase based detection systems. We therefore do not recommend the inclusion of sodium azide in working buffers but suggest that solutions are appropriately sterilized by either filtration through a 0.2 micron filter or autoclaved. Where horseradish peroxidase based detection systems are being used, we recommend that membranes are washed throughly prior to detection to remove any residual traces of sodium azide.

Antibody applications

Our antibodies have been tested by Western immunoblotting as a standard part of our QC procedures. However, we do not routinely check them for other applications due to the number of variables involved. We are always delighted to hear of new applications for our antibodies.

Cross-reactivity

Antibodies are assessed for species cross-reactivity between human, rat and mouse tissues and this are stated in the catalog and datasheet entries. For alternative species we suggest the use of a protein-protein (Blastp) Blast Search to compare the protein sequence homology between the peptide sequence used in raising the antibody and the alternative species protein sequence. Although all our antibodies are affinity purified against the original peptide sequence, some cross-reactivity against proteins differing by only one or two amino acid residues within the overlapping region can be expected. We cannot guarantee that the antibody will recognize the alternative protein sequence. If the antibody does not initially recognize the alternative protein sequence we suggest removing the Tween20 detergent from all buffers and extending the 4°C incubation period to maximize potential binding.

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Transport Classification

Hazard information for each product is assessed using the RTECS (Registry of Toxic Effect of Chemical Substances) database. This information is then interpreted according to the International Transport Association (IATA) regulations.

Peptides

Net peptide weight

The majority of peptides sold by Tocris are supplied by net peptide weight. As sold, peptides may contain counterions and residual water. Therefore, although the purity of a particular peptide may be quoted as that of 98%, the net peptide content may only be 70%. To compensate for this our peptides are weighed so that the amount of peptide received is exactly that stated on the vial. For example, for 1 mg of a peptide with 70% net content, 1.43 mg of material (1/0.7) is actually supplied.

Purity of peptides

Unless otherwise stated, peptides supplied by Tocris have a purity of > 95%. Purity is assessed by HPLC, mass spectroscopy and/or amino acid analysis, with details of these available on request.

How to dissolve peptides

Most peptides are soluble in distilled water. If they do not completely dissolve, the addition of 1.0 M acetic acid for basic peptides (those containing Arg, Lys, His) or 1.0 M ammonium hydroxide for acidic peptides (those containing Asp, Glu) may help. Solubilization of extremely insoluble peptides can be assisted with 10% DMSO or DMF, although the use of these may interfere with some biological assays. Sonication can also be a useful aid for solubilizing peptides. When solubilizing peptides, it is recommended that the peptide be dissolved to the highest possible concentration, and then diluted with water or buffer to the working concentration. The buffer should only be added when the peptide is completely solubilized as salts may cause aggregation.

Stability and storage of peptides

Peptides are provided in lyophilized form and should be stored at -20°C. Absorption of water will decrease stability of the peptide, so insure that the product is stored in a closed, dry environment with dessicants. Avoid storing the peptide in a frost-free freezer, as changes in moisture and temperature may affect stability. Before use, and prior to opening the vial, it is recommended that the peptide be allowed to equilibrate to room temperature for at least 60 minutes. Long-term storage of peptides in solution is not recommended as this will reduce stability.

Blocking peptides

Blocking peptides can be used to show the specificity of antibodies as they specifically block antibody and antigen interactions in Western immunoblotting. Blocking peptides may be purchased separately as catalog items, subject to product listing and availability. See also blocking peptide use.

Further peptides information

Further information on individual products and custom peptides can be found on our peptides page.

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Tocrisolve 100

What is Tocrisolve 100?

Tocrisolve 100 is a formulation composed of a 1:4 ratio of soya oil/water which is emulsified with the block co-polymer, Pluronic F68. Lipids in Tocrisolve can be conveniently diluted with any aqueous medium for further use.

How does Tocris add the cannabinoid to the emulsion?

The cannabinoid or vanilloid is incorporated with the emulsion as part of a specialized innovative production process. The soya oil forms a coating around the cannabinoid molecule, and the block co-polymer is added to stabilize the emulsion, preventing the lipid droplets from coalescing (merging) in the surrounding water.

Can I use cannabinoids in Tocrisolve for my usual experiments?

The emulsion can be diluted to any extent with aqueous medium, including water, saline and HEPES buffer. The solution can be used for in vitro or in vivo experiments, as has been reported for anandamide in Tocrisolve 100 (Cat. No. 1017) in the following papers:

• Gardiner et al (2002) Complex regional haemodynamic effects of anandamide in conscious rats. Br.J.Pharmacol. 135 1889.
• Kagaya et al (2002) Characterization of the anandamide-induced depolarization of guinea-pig isolated vagus nerve. Br.J.Pharmacol. 137 39.
• Roberts et al (2002) Anandamide is a partial agonist at native vanilloid receptors in acutely isolated mouse trigeminal sensory neurons. Br.J.Pharmacol. 137 421.
• Geraghty and Mazzone (2002) Respiratory actions of vanilloid receptor agonists in the nucleus of the solitary tract: comparison of resiniferatoxin with non-pungent agents and anandamide. Br.J.Pharmacol. 137 919.
• Begg et al (2002) Modulation of the release of endogenous adenosine by cannabinoids in the myenteric plexus-longitudinal muscle preparation of the guinea-pig ileum. Br.J.Pharmacol. 137 1298.

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Libraries and Ligand Sets

Tocriscreen compound libraries

Tocriscreen are collections of unique and diverse bioactive compounds suitable for high-throughput screening (HTS), cell based high-content screening (HCS) and chemical biology applications. Available pre-dissolved in DMSO or as dry/solid compounds, the collections include high purity compounds active at GPCRs, kinases, ion channels, nuclear receptors and transporters.

Each compound is a biologically active molecule selected from the Tocris Bioscience range creating unique collections unavailable elsewhere with excellent structural diversity and wide coverage of pharmacological space. Tocriscreen Compound Libraries are supported by extensive biological information and are periodically updated with products from the very latest research.

Please view the individual product listings for exact contents and specific technical data via our screening library page.

Tocriset Ligand Sets

Tocrisets consist of 3-5 key ligands supplied as lyophilized solids, or pre-dissolved in DMSO at a specific concentration. Lyophilized solids have been freeze-dried (approximately 0.5-2 mg per vial) so that addition of 0.5 or 1 ml of solvent produces a stock concentration of 10 or 5 mM respectively. Each set is designed to allow targeting of a specific receptor or pathway in a convenient and cost effective manner.

Please view the individual product listings for exact contents and specific technical data via our ligand sets page.

New Product Updates

A current list of new products by date added, product type, or research area can be found on our new products page. If you would like to be kept informed about new products by email, please sign up for our monthly e-alert service.

New Product Suggestions

We welcome suggestions for new products. Please complete a new product suggestion form or email .