Why does tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane turn yellow

Tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane, commonly referred to as Tris base, is an extremely important raw material and reagent in both chemical and biochemical fields. Its pure form is often presented in the form of pure white powder, however, sometimes we may encounter some customer feedback that Tris in their warehouse has turned yellow. So, why did this happen?

Firstly, we need to clarify that Tris is quite stable under dry and sealed conditions. This means that as long as the storage conditions are appropriate, it usually does not decompose and is not easily spoiled. However, once we discover that Tris turns yellow, we need to consider and analyze the possible reasons from multiple perspectives.

The first point we need to consider is the quality issue of Tris products. What we need to confirm is whether the yellowing of Tris was caused by quality issues with the original product or during storage. There are two main methods for synthesizing Tris, each of which requires the use of some raw materials and solvents. It is worth noting that these raw materials and solvents are colorless in their pure state. Therefore, in the normal synthesis process, as long as the equipment is clean, Tris products themselves will not appear colored.

Based on this, we can infer that the possibility of Tris turning yellow due to product quality issues is not very high. Unless poor quality raw materials are used during the synthesis process, or if the raw materials contain some colored impurities, it is possible for Tris products to appear colored. In addition, if the synthesis equipment is not cleaned thoroughly, it may also cause the product to be contaminated, resulting in color. However, this situation can generally be resolved through simple dissolution and filtration steps.

Next, we need to consider the potential issues that Tris may encounter during storage. Although Tris dry powder is not easily decomposed and is not used as a nutrient by microorganisms, it is not easy to breed bacteria. However, Tris has a characteristic that it easily absorbs moisture. When the sealing of Tris is poor or the humidity in the storage environment is high, it will absorb moisture from the air more quickly. Once moisture is absorbed, Tris becomes alkaline, and this alkaline environment easily attracts carbon dioxide from the air. After the reaction between carbon dioxide and Tris, it will cause Tris to deteriorate, resulting in yellowing.

In addition, if there are microorganisms present in the storage environment, these microorganisms may also grow and reproduce on Tris, further accelerating its spoilage process. Therefore, in order to prevent Tris from turning yellow, we need to ensure that its storage environment is dry and clean, and to do a good job of sealing.

Here, I would like to specifically mention Desheng Company. As far as I know, Tris produced by Desheng Company has very guaranteed quality. Whether packed in a bucket or a bottle, its sealing is relatively good and it is not prone to moisture absorption and spoilage. Therefore, if customers experience yellowing when using Tris from Desheng Company, it is likely due to storage environment issues.