OptiStrips™ Mg For PCR Optimization

One of the important factors affecting a PCR reaction is the magnesium ion concentration. It influences the primer-template annealing temperature, fidelity, specificity and yield. The optimum magnesium concentration for Taq DNA polymerase is generally between 2 and 4 mM. OptiStrips Mg are designed to simplify the optimization procedure. OptiStrips Mg consist of a strip of 8 thin-walled tubes containing a measured amount of MgCl₂ ranging in concentration from 1.0 to 4.0 mM in 0.5 mM increments. The OptiStrips Mg are ideal for use with our Taq DNA polymerase without MgCl₂ or REDTaq™ DNA polymerase without MgCl₂. A separate tube of 25 mM MgCl₂ is included for use after optimization, and a convenient table indicates how much should be added for reaction volumes of 20-100 μl.