NaHCO3

Sodium hydrogen carbonate (or sodium bicarbonate) is a salt of carbonic acid and is very often used as a buffer system in cell cultures. Cells react sensitively to the pH value of the cell culture medium. A pH value that is too high or too low can quickly lead to cytotoxicity of the medium. The addition of sodium hydrogen carbonate enables the pH value of the cell culture medium to be maintained.

The buffer system is based on the fact that sodium hydrogen carbonate acts as a weak base in aqueous solutions and releases protons (reducing the pH value) and absorbs protons on contact with acids, releasing carbon dioxide (thus increasing the pH value of a solution). In this way, sodium hydrogen carbonate enables effective buffering of the pH value in biological systems and cell cultures. A CO2 atmosphere of 5 to 10 % is required to keep the reaction in equilibrium.

We offer sodium hydrogen carbonate as a solid and in dissolved form. Our sodium hydrogen carbonate solution has a concentration of 7.5% w/v and has been dissolved in H2O (cell culture quality).