Merck, 50950-1KG, Guanidine hydrochloride

Guanidine hydrochloride, or aminoformamidine hydrochloride, is a versatile chemical compound widely used in cell biology and biochemical research due to its potent chaotropic properties. Its ability to disrupt protein and nucleic acid structures makes it valuable for purifying proteins and nucleic acids, particularly mRNA. Guanidine hydrochloride unfolds proteins, facilitating their purification and refolding, and it is effective in solubilizing denatured insoluble proteins at higher concentrations. At lower concentrations, guanidine hydrochloride has the intriguing ability to promote the refolding of denatured proteins, aiding in protein renaturation studies. In RNA extraction, it acts as a strong denaturant, disrupting cell structures and ensuring the integrity of extracted RNA by inactivating RNA enzymes. Overall, guanidine hydrochloride′s denaturing and renaturing properties make it an essential reagent for various cell biology applications, including protein purification, nucleic acid isolation, and protein refolding studies.