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Oligonucleotide synthesis scale

Standard unmodified oligonucleotides are synthesized in 20 nmol, 40 nmol, 200 nmol and 1 µmol scales. The scale specified in the order means that the actual quantity of the final product will be within the range of the usual and guaranteed yields (see yield values below).

The actual quantity of the final product depends on:

  • synthesis yield, which decreases with the length of the final product
  • type of purification in which losses occur
  • type of modification

For most molecular biology techniques, a synthesis scale of 40 nmol (an oligonucleotide is sufficient for more than 3000 common PCR reactions) and a standard purification type are sufficient.  When ordering synthesis of long sequences (over 50 bases), a relatively lower proportion of oligonucleotides of the correct length must be considered. Therefore, we recommend ordering OPC or HPLC purification to remove shorter non-synthesized chains. In this case, a lower synthesis yield should also be considered and a higher scale should be ordered.

The guaranteed yields listed below apply only to standard unmodified oligonucleotides.

 

Guaranteed and usual yields of specified purification types (unmodified oligonucleotides)

SCALE 20 nmol Guaranteed yield (nmol) Usual yield (nmol)
standard purification 10 13-20
OPC purification 8 13-17
HPLC purification N/A N/A

 

SCALE 40 nmol Guaranteed yield (nmol) Usual yield (nmol)
standard purification 20 35-40
OPC purification 10 30-35
HPLC purification 5 10-35

 

SCALE 200 nmol Guaranteed yield (nmol) Usual yield (nmol)
standard purification 60 130-180
OPC purification 40 45-130
HPLC purification 20 25-100

 

SCALE 1 µmol Guaranteed yield (nmol) Usual yield (nmol)
standard purification 300 350-500
OPC purification 100 200-300
HPLC purification 50 100-250