Diethyl pyrocarbonate

Diethyl Pyrocarbonate (DEPC) is a chemical use to inactivate RNase enzymes and is sensitive to moisture and pH. It is also sensitive to ammonia, which causes decomposition to urethane, a possible carcinogen.

It is effective as a nuclease inhibitor, modification reagent for His and Tyr residues in proteins. It is used as a robust probe for structural disruptions in dsDNA, reacting with fully or partially unstacked bases. It is used to modify proteins and nucleic acids. It is also used for Dot blot hybridisation, to dilute total RNA isolated from different micro-organisms.

Soluble in alcohols, esters, ketones, hydrocarbons. Slowly soluble in water with hydrolytic decomposition yielding ethanol and CO₂.