Azido-PEG12-alcohol | CAS 73342-16-2

Azido-PEG12-alcohol is a PEG-based azide building block designed for copper-free and copper-mediated click chemistry workflows, enabling efficient bioorthogonal conjugation and surface/material functionalization. The reagent features a terminal azide group for reaction with complementary alkynes and a flexible, hydrophilic PEG12 spacer that improves solubility and reduces nonspecific interactions in many labeling and coating contexts. As a research-grade click handle, it is commonly incorporated into probe, polymer, and biomolecule conjugation strategies where controlled spacing and aqueous compatibility are important.

1. Bioconjugation Linker Use

Azido-PEG12-alcohol is widely used as a PEGylated azide linker for attaching functional motifs to biomolecules such as proteins, peptides, and nucleic-acid–associated constructs. Researchers select this reagent when they need a hydrophilic spacer to help preserve binding or recognition behavior of the target while providing a reliable azide handle for subsequent click coupling to alkyne-functional partners. The PEG12 chain is particularly helpful in labeling workflows that benefit from improved colloidal stability and reduced aggregation during conjugation and downstream handling.

2. Surface Coating And Patterning

Azido-PEG12-alcohol supports azide-functional surface preparation for research and industrial R&D settings that require click-compatible interfaces. It is commonly used to introduce azide groups onto polymer films, hydrogel matrices, and functionalized substrates, enabling later coupling to alkyne-bearing ligands, capture reagents, or fluorescent reporters. The flexible PEG spacer can mitigate steric congestion at the interface, which is valuable when building patterned or modular surfaces for assay development, materials screening, and platform prototyping.

3. Molecular Imaging Probe Assembly

Azido-PEG12-alcohol is employed in the assembly of imaging and detection reagents where modular click chemistry simplifies the integration of targeting or reporting components. In probe development pipelines, the reagent provides an azide-functional PEG spacer that can be coupled to alkyne-tagged fluorophores, affinity handles, or imaging scaffolds to tune hydrophilicity and minimize nonspecific surface interactions. Its PEG-based architecture is frequently chosen to support stable probe behavior in aqueous labeling buffers and to help maintain effective presentation of the appended functional groups.

4. Polymer And Hydrogel Functionalization

Azido-PEG12-alcohol is used to incorporate azide functionality into PEG-containing polymers and hydrogel networks for subsequent click-based post-functionalization. Materials scientists rely on this reagent to create modular polymer architectures where alkyne-bearing crosslinkers, dyes, or bioactive motifs can be introduced after initial material formation. The PEG12 spacer contributes to water compatibility and can improve accessibility of reactive sites, which is advantageous for constructing responsive or compartmentalized materials used in chemical biology tool development and advanced materials research.