Editing Imidazole (section)

==Use in biological research==
Imidazole is a suitable buffer for pH 6.2 to 7.8,.<ref name="Dawson 1986 p. ">{{cite book | last=Dawson | first=R. M. C. | title=Data for biochemical research | publisher=Clarendon Press | publication-place=Oxford | year=1986 | isbn=978-0-19-855299-4 | oclc=11865673 | page=325}}</ref> Pure imidazole has essentially no absorbance at protein relevant wavelengths (280&nbsp;nm),<ref>{{cite web |title=1H-Imidazole |url=https://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/cbook.cgi?ID=C288324&Mask=400 |access-date=13 May 2021 |archive-date=25 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425154408/https://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/cbook.cgi?ID=C288324&Mask=400 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Optimizing Purification of Histidine-Tagged Proteins |url=https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/technical-documents/protocols/biology/affinity-chromatography-tagged-proteins/optimizing-purification-of-histidine-tagged-proteins.html |access-date=13 May 2021 |archive-date=13 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513212432/https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/technical-documents/protocols/biology/affinity-chromatography-tagged-proteins/optimizing-purification-of-histidine-tagged-proteins.html |url-status=live }}</ref> however lower purities of imidazole can give notable absorbance at 280&nbsp;nm. Imidazole can interfere with the [[Lowry protein assay]].<ref name="Molina Rueda Bosque-Sendra Megias 1996 pp. 273–280">{{cite journal | last1=Molina | first1=F | last2=Rueda | first2=A | last3=Bosque-Sendra | first3=J.M | last4=Megias | first4=L | title=Determination of proteins in the presence of imidazole buffers | journal=Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=14 | issue=3 | year=1996 | issn=0731-7085 | doi=10.1016/0731-7085(95)01615-5 | pages=273–280| pmid=8851751 }}</ref>

Imidazole is often used in protein purification, where recombinant proteins with polyhistidine tags are immobilized onto nickel resins and eluted with a high imidazole concentration.