What type of solvent is best suited for dissolving a compound?
In biological experiments water is the most preferred solvent. However, several organic compounds are either not soluble in water or they degrade rapidly in the presence of moisture. If DMSO is a recommended solvent, it is best to use a fresh stock bottle of DMSO that is deemed free of any moisture. Any contaminating moisture may accelerate the degradation of compound in question or may render it insoluble. • Why can’t I make serial dilutions of my DMSO stock solution directly in my buffer? In some cases this may not be a problem. However, in most cases the organic material will precipitate out of the solution when added directly to an aqueous medium. It is best to make the initial serial dilutions only in DMSO and then add the final diluted sample to your buffer or the cell culture medium. Also, the compound may be soluble in aqueous medium only at its working concentration. • Which protein kinase inhibitor is best suited for my experiment? If the mechanism involved in phosphorylation
