Uses of Ammonia Acetate

Buffer Solutions

1. pH Control: Ammonium acetate is used to prepare buffer solutions, which help maintain a stable pH in biochemical and molecular biology experiments. It is especially useful in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary electrophoresis.
2. LC-MS: In liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), ammonium acetate buffers are commonly used because they are volatile and do not leave residue, which is crucial for sensitive detection.

Protein and Nucleic Acid Purification

1. Protein Precipitation: Ammonium acetate is used to precipitate proteins from solutions, aiding in the purification and analysis of proteins.
2. DNA and RNA Precipitation: It is employed in the precipitation of nucleic acids during DNA and RNA extraction procedures, often in combination with ethanol or isopropanol.

Molecular Biology

1. PCR and Enzyme Reactions: Ammonium acetate is used in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and other enzymatic reactions where a stable pH is required.

Analytical Chemistry

1. Solvent for Analytical Reactions: It acts as a solvent or reagent in various analytical chemistry techniques, particularly those involving complexation reactions.

Histology

1. Fixative: It can be used as a fixative in histology for tissue preparation before microscopic examination.

Electrophoresis

1. Running Buffer: Ammonium acetate can be used as a running buffer in electrophoresis, aiding in the separation of biomolecules like proteins and nucleic acids based on their size and charge.