S4 surfactant/Aerosol OT，AOT

Non-hemolytic, enzyme compatible, low foaming, good wetting agent, in addition to emulsifying, stabilizing and dispersing effects.

Soluble in mixtures of water and alcohol and mixtures of water and other organic solvents. Stable in acidic and neutral solutions, decomposed in alkaline solutions.

Its surface modification properties can be used to reduce surface tension and increase absorption and permeability. AERLSOL OT also has partial antistatic and softening functions.

Action mechanism

TMB stability control

Termination of oxidation reaction: Aerosol OT prevents oxidation to the brown end product (quinone imide form) by forming a stable dark blue complex with TMB (tetramethylbenzidine).

Improves oxidation state stability: The complex is in the highest oxidation state (TMB +), significantly prolongs the color rendering time of the TMB and avoids signal attenuation.

Enhanced solubility and compatibility

Make the TMB-TMB complex compatible with both aqueous and organic solvents (e.g., toluene), and broaden the applicability of detection methods (e.g., organic solvent extraction or double phase reaction systems).

Application scenario

ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) : Used for substrate TMB stabilization to ensure consistent color development strength and durability.

Chemiluminescence kit: Improve luminous efficiency and signal stability.

Point-of-care (point-of-care) devices: Maintain TMB activity in microplates or strips to reduce batch to batch variation.

DNA/RNA amplification reagents: Improve surface tension during nucleic acid extraction or hybridization and promote reagent penetration.

Cell lysate: As a mild non-hemolytic surfactant, it assists cell membrane rupture without releasing hemoglobin interference.

Scope of use

Mtb-hcl color developing solution (such as ELISA termination solution), chemiluminescent substrate system, microplate pretreatment solution.

Biotin/avidin labeling system: enhancing coupling efficiency.

Matters needing attention

Storage conditions sealed and kept away from light to avoid gelation caused by volatilization of water and ethanol (if it is gel, it is necessary to add 1%-2% ethanol to redissolve).

Recommended container material: stainless steel, aluminum or glass lining (avoid long-term contact with plastic).

pH range: Only used in acidic/neutral conditions (pH ≤ 7), strong alkaline environment will make its decomposition failure.

Temperature adaptability: freezing and thawing does not affect the activity, but it needs to be fully stirred before use.

Avoid direct mixing with strong oxidants (such as high concentrations of H₂O₂), which may trigger complex dissociation.

In a protein-containing system, such as a serum sample, it is necessary to verify whether the antibody binding activity is affected.

Q&A

Q: Why Aerosol OT can extend TMB color rendering time?

A: By forming a stable complex, the transformation of TMB into irreversible oxidation products is inhibited and it is maintained in a high oxidation state.

Q: How to deal with blue precipitation after use?

A: Excessive Aerosol OT or high pH may lead to complex precipitation, and it is necessary to optimize the concentration or adjust the pH of the system to acidity.

Q: Can it directly replace other surfactants (such as Triton X-100)?

A: Experimental verification is needed, because Aerosol OT function focuses on TMB stability and low foaming, which may be different from the solubilization of Triton.

Q: Does it affect the detection sensitivity?

A: Reasonable addition can improve signal stability, but excessive may interfere with antibody binding. It is recommended to determine the optimal concentration (usually 0.1%-0.5%) through pre-experiment.

Q: Is it suitable for fluorescence detection system?

A: It needs to be verified in conjunction with specific fluorescent substrates, because it may enhance the solubility of organic solvents, but has no direct effect on the fluorescence signal itself.

Reference dosage

ELISA coloring solution 0.1%-0.3% was added after the reaction was terminated

The chemiluminescent substrate 0.05%-0.2% is premixed into the luminescent system

Microplate pretreatment 0.01%-0.05% wetting surface before coating