Tris (2-carboxyethyl) phosphine hydrochloride (TCEP)

Tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine hydrochloride (commonly known as TCEP or TCEP-HCl), product number 10014, is a water-soluble, stable, odorless, irreversible reducing agent that cleaves disulfide bonds specifically, rapidly reducing them to thiols.

TCEP has several advantages over disulfide reducing agents such as dithiothreitol (DTT) and β-mercaptoethanol.
Odorless:
Unlike many other phosphine compounds, TCEP has no odor.
Water-soluble:
Also, unlike many other phosphine compounds, TCEP is soluble in water, making it useful for reducing disulfide bonds in aqueous media. However, TCEP is not stable in aqueous buffers containing phosphate. Therefore, when dissolving TCEP in PBS or other phosphate buffers, the TCEP solution must be used immediately.
Stable:
TCEP is stable in water and aqueous buffers that do not contain phosphate. It is stable in acidic, neutral, and basic pH solutions. Therefore, the preparation and storage of stock solutions is possible. When dissolved in water, a TCEP solution has a pH of approximately 2.5. Also, TCEP resists air oxidation.
Easy to use:
TCEP can be used on an open bench with no special preparation. No fume hood is required. Reduction occurs at room temperature.
Biocompatible:
TCEP is compatible with proteins, peptides, and other molecules of biological or biochemical interest. TCEP does not reduce metals used in immobilized metal affinity chromatography. Moreover, TCEP does not absorb UV light in the range of 250 - 280 nm, making it useful for monitoring reactions with proteins that contain aromatic amino acid residues.
Specific Reaction:
TCEP specifically reduces disulfide bonds to thiols. Cross-reactivity with other molecules and functional groups is rare.
Irreversible Reaction:
TCEP does not regenerate during the reduction reaction. Therefore, in this sense, the reduction reaction is irreversible.
Very Fast and Efficient:
Reduction of disulfide bonds to free thiols is swift. A 50 mM solution of TCEP at room temperature reduces all disulfide bonds in proteins and peptides within minutes.

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