The three dimensional structure of ampicillin.
Ampicillin is a beta-lactam antibiotic that has been used extensively to treat bacterial infections since 1961. It is often used as a selective agent in molecular biology to select for and to confirm the uptake of genes (e.g., of plasmids) by bacteria (e.g., E. coli). A gene that is to be inserted into a bacterium is coupled to a gene coding for an ampicillin resistance (in E. coli, usually the bla (TEM-1) gene, coding for ?-lactamase). The treated bacteria are then grown in a medium containing ampicillin (typically 50–100 mg/L). Only the bacteria that successfully take up the desired genes become ampicillin resistant, and therefore contain the other desired gene as well. It can be used with Cloaxicillin as well. As a powder ampicillin is white with slight yellow cast and is soluble in water (150 mg/ml).
Preparation of Ampicillin (100mg/ml), 50ml
- Weight out 5g Ampicillin
- Add double distilled H2O to 50ml.
- Sterilize using a 0.22 µm filter.
- Aliquot and store at –20°C. (Use at 100µg/ml).
Recommended Suppliers
Ampicillin: Sigma-Aldrich, A-9518
