It really depends on how long you're running your gels for and at what voltage. TBE has a higher buffering capacity than TAE and is particularly good for high voltage or long duration electrophoresis. I use TBE for all my DNA electrophoresis and have found it can be reused for several hour-long 100v runs per day for a several days (though the tank may need to be topped up occasionally due to evaporation). However, as TBE ages its buffering capacity will drop, and the current running through it and the buffer temperature will increase leading to pronounced evaporation, which isn't good for your gel (or probably your electrophoresis equipment) - so with this in mind, take care when reusing TBE, and replace it before this becomes an issue.
It really depends on how long you're running your gels for and at what voltage. TBE has a higher buffering capacity than TAE and is particularly good for high voltage or long duration electrophoresis. I use TBE for all my DNA electrophoresis and have found it can be reused for several hour-long 100v runs per day for a several days (though the tank may need to be topped up occasionally due to evaporation). However, as TBE ages its buffering capacity will drop, and the current running through it and the buffer temperature will increase leading to pronounced evaporation, which isn't good for your gel (or probably your electrophoresis equipment) - so with this in mind, take care when reusing TBE, and replace it before this becomes an issue.
I agree with Sam and would like to add that when the buffering capacity becomes weak, the pH will drop and the Bromophenol bleu will turn yellow.
Thank you, Dr. For quality purposes, we use commercial, ready-made TBE. This is a little bit expensive for us in developing countries. In addition, sometimes, we need to run many agarose gels without a need to change the buffer. Kind regards!
- Badges
- Science method