Skip to Content
Merck
All Photos(1)

Key Documents

47608

Sigma-Aldrich

Formaldehyde solution

for molecular biology, BioReagent, ≥36.0% in H2O (T)

Synonym(s):

Formic aldehyde, Formol, Formalin

Sign Into View Organizational & Contract Pricing


About This Item

Linear Formula:
HCHO
CAS Number:
Molecular Weight:
30.03
Beilstein:
1209228
MDL number:
UNSPSC Code:
12352114
PubChem Substance ID:
NACRES:
NA.52

grade

for molecular biology

Quality Level

vapor density

1.03 (vs air)

vapor pressure

52 mmHg ( 37 °C)

product line

BioReagent

form

liquid

autoignition temp.

572 °F

contains

~10% methanol as stabilizer

concentration

≥36.0% in H2O (T)
36.0-38.0% (aldehyde method)

technique(s)

electrophoresis: suitable

impurities

≤0.03% free acid (as HCOOH)

ign. residue

≤0.05% (as SO4)

pH

2.8-4.0

density

1.09 g/mL at 20 °C
1.09 g/mL at 25 °C (lit.)

anion traces

chloride (Cl-): ≤10 mg/kg
sulfate (SO42-): ≤20 mg/kg

cation traces

Ca: ≤5 mg/kg
Cd: ≤1 mg/kg
Co: ≤1 mg/kg
Cr: ≤1 mg/kg
Cu: ≤1 mg/kg
Fe: ≤1 mg/kg
K: ≤20 mg/kg
Mg: ≤1 mg/kg
Mn: ≤1 mg/kg
Na: ≤100 mg/kg
Ni: ≤1 mg/kg
Pb: ≤1 mg/kg
Zn: ≤1 mg/mL

λ

2 M in H2O

UV absorption

λ: 260 nm Amax: 0.01
λ: 280 nm Amax: 0.01

suitability

in accordance for electrophoresis of RNA in agarose gels

storage temp.

room temp

SMILES string

[H]C([H])=O

InChI

1S/CH2O/c1-2/h1H2

InChI key

WSFSSNUMVMOOMR-UHFFFAOYSA-N

Looking for similar products? Visit Product Comparison Guide

General description

Formaldehyde is a molecular biology reagent that denaturates RNA during electrophoresis when incorporated in agarose gels.
It is an aliphatic aldehyde that is widely used in industrial applications for the synthesis of several chemicals such as melamine formaldehyde, urea-formaldehyde, phenol formaldehyde and industrial resins, paraformaldehyde, polyols, chelating agents, slow release fertilizers, 1,4-butanediol and hexamethylenetetramine.

Application

Formaldehyde solution is suitable for:
  • denaturation and separation of RNA molecules
  • anti-bacterial treatment
  • fixation of cells
Formaldehydesolution has been used:
  • in the fixation of human spermatogonial stem cell transplantation (SSCT).
  • to crosslink T- cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia protein/DNA complex during chromatin immunoprecipitation.
  • in fixing zebra fish larvae for neutrophil staining.

Caution

may contain precipitate (paraformaldehyde)

Principle

Formaldehyde disrupts the secondary structure of RNA and allows separation and identification of RNA species based on charge migration.

Signal Word

Danger

Hazard Classifications

Acute Tox. 2 Inhalation - Acute Tox. 3 Dermal - Acute Tox. 3 Oral - Carc. 1B - Eye Dam. 1 - Flam. Liq. 3 - Muta. 2 - Skin Corr. 1B - Skin Sens. 1 - STOT SE 1 - STOT SE 3

Target Organs

Eyes,Central nervous system, Respiratory system

Storage Class Code

3 - Flammable liquids

WGK

WGK 3

Flash Point(F)

133.0 °F - closed cup

Flash Point(C)

56.11 °C - closed cup

Personal Protective Equipment

dust mask type N95 (US), Eyeshields, Gloves

Certificates of Analysis (COA)

Search for Certificates of Analysis (COA) by entering the products Lot/Batch Number. Lot and Batch Numbers can be found on a product’s label following the words ‘Lot’ or ‘Batch’.

Already Own This Product?

Find documentation for the products that you have recently purchased in the Document Library.

Visit the Document Library

Jin Qian et al.
Virology, 474, 10-18 (2014-12-03)
Interferon-induced transmembrane (IFITM) proteins inhibit the entry of a large number of viruses. Not surprisingly, many viruses are refractory to this inhibition. In this study, we report that different strains of HIV and SIV are inhibited by human IFITM proteins
Y Jiang et al.
Oncogene, 34(50), 6079-6091 (2015-03-10)
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) causes human lymphoid malignancies, and the EBV product latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) has been identified as an oncogene in epithelial carcinomas such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). EBV can epigenetically reprogram lymphocyte-specific processes and induce cell immortalization.
John N Griffin et al.
PLoS genetics, 11(3), e1005018-e1005018 (2015-03-11)
The production of ribosomes is ubiquitous and fundamental to life. As such, it is surprising that defects in ribosome biogenesis underlie a growing number of symptomatically distinct inherited disorders, collectively called ribosomopathies. We previously determined that the nucleolar protein, NOL11
Dannis G van Vuurden et al.
Neuro-oncology, 16(7), 946-959 (2014-01-29)
Glial brain tumors cause considerable mortality and morbidity in children and adults. Innovative targets for therapy are needed to improve survival and reduce long-term sequelae. The aim of this study was to find a candidate tumor-promoting protein, abundantly expressed in
Kerstin Hahn et al.
PloS one, 10(11), e0141824-e0141824 (2015-11-12)
Clinical, pathological and genetic examination revealed an as yet uncharacterized juvenile-onset neuroaxonal dystrophy (NAD) in Spanish water dogs. Affected dogs presented with various neurological deficits including gait abnormalities and behavioral deficits. Histopathology demonstrated spheroid formation accentuated in the grey matter

Articles

Millicell® hanging cell culture inserts for staining and microscopic analysis directly from the insert. Learn to utilize hanging cell culture inserts in barrier measurements.

rganoid culture products to generate tissue and stem cell derived 3D brain, intestinal, gut, lung and cancer tumor organoid models.

Our team of scientists has experience in all areas of research including Life Science, Material Science, Chemical Synthesis, Chromatography, Analytical and many others.

Contact Technical Service