Sigma-Aldrich
Encyclopedia
Sigma-Aldrich Corporation , is a life science and high technology company with over 7,600 employees and operations in 40 countries. Its chemical and biochemical products and kits are used in scientific research, biotechnology
, pharmaceutical development, the diagnosis of disease, and as key components in high technology manufacturing.
, to manage the company’s growing consulting and production businesses.
During World War II
, Midwest manufactured ammunition components and made felt and paper parts for signal flares. In addition, saccharin was in high demand and short supply. To fill the need, Broida hired new chemists and chemical engineers, gathered equipment (including bathtubs for acid tanks) and formed Sigma Chemical Company as a division of Midwest Consultants. For a year, major distributing companies bought saccharin as fast as Sigma could produce it. When the war ended, however, supplies of many raw materials again became plentiful and effectively forced Sigma out of the market.
In its search for a new direction, Sigma’s turn toward research biochemicals came in the form of Lou Berger, a friend of Broida who had completed a MS degree in biochemistry at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine under Nobel Laureates Carl and Gerty Cori
. Berger asked if he could occasionally use Sigma’s laboratory. As a graduate student, one of Berger’s tasks had been to extract adenosine triphosphate
(ATP) from rabbit muscle. ATP is a major source of energy in living organisms and was used extensively in the Cori’s research.
The Coris and other biomedical researchers at this time were involved in studies requiring ATP in quantity. Berger suggested that Sigma produce the compound on a larger scale and taught his process to Sigma personnel. A small ad in a scientific journal brought orders and Broida expanded production. Within two years, Sigma offered eight additional ATP derivatives and raised purity levels.
In the early 1950s, the world’s leading biochemists gathered in Atlantic City for the Federation Meetings. Sigma exhibited its slim offering of nine products. Nobel-Prize scientists such as Arthur Kornberg
, Severo Ochoa
and Otto Meyerhof congratulated Broida on the excellent quality of his products. The exposure propelled Sigma into recognition by the international biochemical research community.
Sigma entered the next decades with broad expansion into biochemicals and clinical products. In 1964, Sigma London was formed to establish a more active position in the market in Great Britain. Two more foreign subsidiaries were formed – Sigma Israel (1970) and Sigma Munich in West Germany (1974).
, an Austrian immigrant to Canada and chemistry graduate student at Harvard University, entertained the idea of starting a company to sell research chemicals in 1949 on the suggestion of the storeroom supervisor at Harvard’s chemistry department. Acting on the premise that chemists needed a wider array of research chemicals and better service, Bader and attorney Jack Eisendrath founded Aldrich Chemical Company in Milwaukee, WI, in 1951.
Aldrich offered 1-methyl-3-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine
(MNNG) as its first product, widely used as a methylating reagent. Other products offered in the early 50s include 3-hydroxypyridine, which later became one of Aldrich’s best-selling products; ethyl diazoacetate
; tetranitromethane
; and ethanedithiol. From 1951 to 1954, Bader developed important collaborations through visits to chemical producers in Europe and the UK. The remainder of the 1950s was characterized by rapid growth in sales and in the number of products offered.
Aldrich’s Rare Chemical Library (RCL) grew out of the collecting and salvaging of valuable research samples of retiring or deceased academic researchers and from other sources. Large-scale contributions of samples to the library have come from such noteworthy chemists as Henry Gilman
, George Wittig, Robert Woodward, and Louis
and Mary Fieser. RCL has led to the discovery and commercialization by others of some valuable chemical commodities, e.g., Roundup (Monsanto Co.), based on lead compounds obtained from the RCL.
The late 50s and early 60s witnessed the growing importance of custom synthesis and bulk sales at Aldrich. Over the years, these functions evolved into Sigma-Aldrich Fine Chemicals (SAFC), currently one of four strategic business units within Sigma-Aldrich Corporation.
A significant opportunity in the 1970s came when Professor H. C. Brown of Purdue University asked Aldrich to further develop and commercialize the hydroboration technology and organoborane chemistry that he had developed and patented. This led to the establishment of Aldrich-Boranes, Inc., a wholly owned Aldrich subsidiary created to manufacture hydroboration reagents and products. Some of the first compounds manufactured by Aldrich-Boranes were borane-THF, 9-BBN
, and borane-methyl sulfide.
Revenues:
Products:
Customers:
Geographies (% of 2008 sales):
VWR International
, LLC. For stable isotopically labeled compounds used in biomedical research, competitors include Omicron Biochemicals,
Cambridge Isotope Laboratories, Inc.
(CIL) and many more
, each offered under separate brand
ing.
market. Aldrich provides organic
and inorganic chemicals, building blocks, reagents, advanced materials and stable isotopes for chemical synthesis
, medicinal chemistry
and materials science
. Aldrich's chemicals catalog, the "Aldrich Catalog and Handbook" is often used as a handbook
due to the inclusion of structures
, physical data, and literature reference
s. Many student
s use it as a reference book, especially undergraduates
, as it is offered free by request.
s, buffers
, carbohydrates, enzyme
s, forensic tools
, hematology
and histology
, nucleotide
s, protein
s, peptide
s, amino acid
s and their derivatives.
and neuroscience
. Their offerings range from standard biochemical reagents to the latest cutting–edge research tools, including new ligand
s for receptors
and ion channel
s, novel enzyme inhibitor
s, phosphospecific antibodies
, key signal transduction enzymes, and assay
kits for cell signaling.
labeled products for protein structure
determination, peptide synthesis
, proteomics
, metabolic
research, magnetic resonance imaging
, nuclear magnetic resonance
, breath test
substrates
, agriculture
, as well as gas
and gas mixes.
columns and related tools for environmental
, government
, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, biotechnology
, medical and chemical laboratories; sample preparation products and chemical reference standards.
products; customized services for raw materials, manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients.
/RNA
oligo
s; custom DNA and LNA probes; siRNA
; isotopically-labelled peptides and peptide libraries.
produces research quantities of chemicals produced by phosgenation reactions. The company was acquired in 1998.
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
, pharmaceutical development, the diagnosis of disease, and as key components in high technology manufacturing.
History
Sigma Chemical Company and Aldrich Chemical Company merged in 1975, producing a current total corporate offering of more than 100,000 chemical products.Sigma’s early history
The company’s roots spring from 1934 in St. Louis, MO, when two brothers, Aaron Fischer and Bernard Fischlowitz, launched a small consulting firm. The two chemical engineers named their partnership Midwest Consultants – parent company of Sigma Chemical Company – and began to help St. Louis businesses produce a variety of specialty products including cosmetics, shoe dressings, and adhesives and inks for cardboard packaging. The firm incorporated in 1935 and hired Dan Broida, another chemical engineer out of Washington University in St. LouisWashington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
, to manage the company’s growing consulting and production businesses.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Midwest manufactured ammunition components and made felt and paper parts for signal flares. In addition, saccharin was in high demand and short supply. To fill the need, Broida hired new chemists and chemical engineers, gathered equipment (including bathtubs for acid tanks) and formed Sigma Chemical Company as a division of Midwest Consultants. For a year, major distributing companies bought saccharin as fast as Sigma could produce it. When the war ended, however, supplies of many raw materials again became plentiful and effectively forced Sigma out of the market.
In its search for a new direction, Sigma’s turn toward research biochemicals came in the form of Lou Berger, a friend of Broida who had completed a MS degree in biochemistry at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine under Nobel Laureates Carl and Gerty Cori
Gerty Cori
Gerty Theresa Cori was an American biochemist who became the third woman—and first American woman—to win a Nobel Prize in science, and the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.Cori was born in Prague...
. Berger asked if he could occasionally use Sigma’s laboratory. As a graduate student, one of Berger’s tasks had been to extract adenosine triphosphate
Adenosine triphosphate
Adenosine-5'-triphosphate is a multifunctional nucleoside triphosphate used in cells as a coenzyme. It is often called the "molecular unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer. ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism...
(ATP) from rabbit muscle. ATP is a major source of energy in living organisms and was used extensively in the Cori’s research.
The Coris and other biomedical researchers at this time were involved in studies requiring ATP in quantity. Berger suggested that Sigma produce the compound on a larger scale and taught his process to Sigma personnel. A small ad in a scientific journal brought orders and Broida expanded production. Within two years, Sigma offered eight additional ATP derivatives and raised purity levels.
In the early 1950s, the world’s leading biochemists gathered in Atlantic City for the Federation Meetings. Sigma exhibited its slim offering of nine products. Nobel-Prize scientists such as Arthur Kornberg
Arthur Kornberg
Arthur Kornberg was an American biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1959 for his discovery of "the mechanisms in the biological synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid " together with Dr. Severo Ochoa of New York University...
, Severo Ochoa
Severo Ochoa
Severo Ochoa de Albornoz was a Spanish-American doctor and biochemist, and joint winner of the 1959 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Arthur Kornberg.-Early life:...
and Otto Meyerhof congratulated Broida on the excellent quality of his products. The exposure propelled Sigma into recognition by the international biochemical research community.
Sigma entered the next decades with broad expansion into biochemicals and clinical products. In 1964, Sigma London was formed to establish a more active position in the market in Great Britain. Two more foreign subsidiaries were formed – Sigma Israel (1970) and Sigma Munich in West Germany (1974).
Aldrich’s early history
Alfred BaderAlfred Bader
Alfred Bader CBE is a Canadian chemist, businessman and collector of fine art.-Early years:Bader's father's family was of Czech Jewish descent; his mother was a Catholic Hungarian aristocrat. He fled from Austria to England in 1938 to escape Nazi persecution...
, an Austrian immigrant to Canada and chemistry graduate student at Harvard University, entertained the idea of starting a company to sell research chemicals in 1949 on the suggestion of the storeroom supervisor at Harvard’s chemistry department. Acting on the premise that chemists needed a wider array of research chemicals and better service, Bader and attorney Jack Eisendrath founded Aldrich Chemical Company in Milwaukee, WI, in 1951.
Aldrich offered 1-methyl-3-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine
Methylnitronitrosoguanidine
Methylnitronitrosoguanidine is a biochemical tool used experimentally as a carcinogen and mutagen. It acts by adding alkyl groups to the O6 of guanine and O4 of thymine...
(MNNG) as its first product, widely used as a methylating reagent. Other products offered in the early 50s include 3-hydroxypyridine, which later became one of Aldrich’s best-selling products; ethyl diazoacetate
Ethyl diazoacetate
Ethyl diazoacetate is a diazo compound and a reagent in organic chemistry. It was discovered by Theodor Curtius in 1883. The compound can be prepared by reaction of the ethyl ester of glycine with sodium nitrite and sodium acetate in water....
; tetranitromethane
Tetranitromethane
Tetranitromethane or TNM is an organic oxidizer with chemical formula C4. Its chemical structure consists of four nitro groups attached to one carbon atom...
; and ethanedithiol. From 1951 to 1954, Bader developed important collaborations through visits to chemical producers in Europe and the UK. The remainder of the 1950s was characterized by rapid growth in sales and in the number of products offered.
Aldrich’s Rare Chemical Library (RCL) grew out of the collecting and salvaging of valuable research samples of retiring or deceased academic researchers and from other sources. Large-scale contributions of samples to the library have come from such noteworthy chemists as Henry Gilman
Henry Gilman
Henry Gilman was an American organic chemist known as the father of organometallic chemistry, the field within which his most notable work was done. He discovered the Gilman reagent, which bears his name....
, George Wittig, Robert Woodward, and Louis
Louis Fieser
Louis Frederick Fieser was an organic chemist, professor, and in 1968, professor emeritus at Harvard University. He was renowned as the inventor, in 1943, of a militarily effective form of napalm...
and Mary Fieser. RCL has led to the discovery and commercialization by others of some valuable chemical commodities, e.g., Roundup (Monsanto Co.), based on lead compounds obtained from the RCL.
The late 50s and early 60s witnessed the growing importance of custom synthesis and bulk sales at Aldrich. Over the years, these functions evolved into Sigma-Aldrich Fine Chemicals (SAFC), currently one of four strategic business units within Sigma-Aldrich Corporation.
A significant opportunity in the 1970s came when Professor H. C. Brown of Purdue University asked Aldrich to further develop and commercialize the hydroboration technology and organoborane chemistry that he had developed and patented. This led to the establishment of Aldrich-Boranes, Inc., a wholly owned Aldrich subsidiary created to manufacture hydroboration reagents and products. Some of the first compounds manufactured by Aldrich-Boranes were borane-THF, 9-BBN
9-BBN
9-Borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane or 9-BBN is an organoborane compound. This colourless solid is used in organic chemistry as a hydroboration reagent. The compound exists as a hydride-bridged dimer, which easily cleaves in the presence of reducible substrates...
, and borane-methyl sulfide.
After the merger
Aldrich Chemical Co. merged with Sigma International, Ltd. to form Sigma-Aldrich Corporation in August 1975, when changing trends in chemical research confirmed the synergy to be realized from their complementary product offerings. Annual double-digit growth was the norm in the 80s and 90s, with significant expansion in facilities, major acquisitions and ventures into new market sectors. In December 2000 Sigma-Aldrich launched a strategic plan focusing the Company on “Leadership in Life Science and High Technology.” Other key initiatives on service and process improvements and a strong Internet presence have strengthened Sigma-Aldrich’s current position as a leading technology company.Other key events
- 2001 – Acquisition of Isotec, a leader in stable isotope production, whose products are used in basic research and the diagnosis of disease; opening of $55 million Life Science and High Technology Center in St. Louis.
- 2002 – BioInformatics, LLC ranks Sigma-Aldrich first in service, catalogs and Web.
- 2003 – Doubling of US sales force; $57 million investment in production, R&D and warehousing.
- 2004 – Acquisitions of Ultrafine, a supplier of contract manufacturing services for drug development, and Tetrionics, a producer of high potency and cytotoxic active pharmaceutical ingredients.
- 2005 – Acquisitions of JRH Biosciences, a major industrial supplier of cell culture products for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, for $370 million, and the Proligo Group, a global supplier of key genomics research tools; announced membership in The RNAi Consortium and joined leading institutions including MIT, Harvard, and Eli Lilly to develop and distribute genome-wide shRNA libraries globally.
- 2006 – Acquisitions of Beijing Superior Chemicals and Instruments Co. establishing a Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise (WFOE) in China, Iropharm, Pharmorphix Ltd., and Advanced Separation Technologies, a manufacturer of products for chiral chromatography.
- 2007 – Acquisitions of Epichem Group Ltd. to expand capabilities in materials sciences and semiconductor markets, and Molecular Medicine BioServices to provide large-scale viral manufacturing capabilities; announced alliance with Sangamo BioSciences to develop zinc finger-based laboratory research reagents.
- 2008 – Introduced Prestige Antibodies line for proteomics and cell biology research; introduced ChIP kit technology for epigenetic research; Supelco introduced Ascentis Express HPLC columns with the Fused Core technology for high-speed, high-efficiency separation; BioInformatics, LLC ranks Sigma-Aldrich first for usefulness and ease-of-use of online and print catalogs.
Key numbers
Key numbers for Sigma-Aldrich.Revenues:
- $2.2 billion (2008)
Products:
- 100,000 chemical products (46,000 manufactured)
- 30,000 laboratory equipment products
Customers:
- Approximately one million individual customers worldwide
- 88,000 accounts
Geographies (% of 2008 sales):
- United States 35%
- Europe 43%
- Canada, Asia Pacific, Latin America 22%
Business units
Organizational structure aligns to meet the specific needs of four customer segments:- Research Biotech – specialty kits for life science researchers studying functional genomicsGenomicsGenomics is a discipline in genetics concerning the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts. The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis,...
, proteomicsProteomicsProteomics is the large-scale study of proteins, particularly their structures and functions. Proteins are vital parts of living organisms, as they are the main components of the physiological metabolic pathways of cells. The term "proteomics" was first coined in 1997 to make an analogy with...
, and cell biologyCell biologyCell biology is a scientific discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level...
. - Research Specialties – broad range of analytical, biochemical and chemical products.
- Research Essentials – offers the most commonly used laboratoryLaboratoryA laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
chemicals and supplies through customized account management. - SAFC – customized development and manufacturing services to the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceuticalBiopharmaceuticalBiopharmaceuticals are medical drugs produced using biotechnology. They include proteins , nucleic acids and living microorganisms like virus and bacteria where the virulence of viruses and bacteria is reduced by the process of attenuation, they can be used for therapeutic or in vivo diagnostic...
and diagnostic sectors.
Competitors
Companies in the same biochemical sales sector include Bayer Aktienges Ads, Brenntag Holding GmbH & Co. KG, ThermoFisher Scientific, andVWR International
VWR International
VWR, headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, is a global laboratory supply and distribution company with worldwide sales in excess of $3.6 billion in 2010....
, LLC. For stable isotopically labeled compounds used in biomedical research, competitors include Omicron Biochemicals,
Cambridge Isotope Laboratories, Inc.
Cambridge Isotope Laboratories
Cambridge Isotope Laboratories is a company which manufacturer and sells a variety of isotopically labeled chemicals and analytical standards. Its isotope separation facility is located in Xenia, Ohio and its production laboratories are located in Andover, Massachusetts...
(CIL) and many more
Product lines
Sigma-Aldrich has a variety of product linesProduct lining
Product lining is the marketing strategy of offering for sale several related products. Unlike product bundling, where several products are combined into one, lining involves offering several related products individually. A line can comprise related products of various sizes, types, colors,...
, each offered under separate brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
ing.
- Analytical / ChromatographyChromatographyChromatography is the collective term for a set of laboratory techniques for the separation of mixtures....
- BiochemicalsBiochemistryBiochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
- ChemistryChemistryChemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
- Research Essentials (Solvents, Buffers, Acids/Bases, General Reagents)
- Equipment, bookBookA book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s & supplies - Large scale chemicals & contract manufacturing
Aldrich
Aldrich is a supplier in the research and fine chemicalsFine chemicals
Fine chemicals are pure, single chemical substances that are commercially produced with chemical reactions for highly specialized applications. Fine chemicals produced can be categorized into active pharmaceutical ingredients and their intermediates, biocides, and specialty chemicals for technical...
market. Aldrich provides organic
Organic compound
An organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...
and inorganic chemicals, building blocks, reagents, advanced materials and stable isotopes for chemical synthesis
Chemical synthesis
In chemistry, chemical synthesis is purposeful execution of chemical reactions to get a product, or several products. This happens by physical and chemical manipulations usually involving one or more reactions...
, medicinal chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and materials science
Materials science
Materials science is an interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. This scientific field investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties. It incorporates...
. Aldrich's chemicals catalog, the "Aldrich Catalog and Handbook" is often used as a handbook
Handbook
A handbook is a type of reference work, or other collection of instructions, that is intended to provide ready reference .A handbook is sometimes referred to as a vade mecum or pocket reference that is intended to be carried at all times.Handbooks may deal with any topic, and are generally...
due to the inclusion of structures
Chemical structure
A chemical structure includes molecular geometry, electronic structure and crystal structure of molecules. Molecular geometry refers to the spatial arrangement of atoms in a molecule and the chemical bonds that hold the atoms together. Molecular geometry can range from the very simple, such as...
, physical data, and literature reference
Reference
Reference is derived from Middle English referren, from Middle French rèférer, from Latin referre, "to carry back", formed from the prefix re- and ferre, "to bear"...
s. Many student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s use it as a reference book, especially undergraduates
Undergraduate education
Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...
, as it is offered free by request.
Sigma
Sigma is the Sigma-Aldrich's main biochemical supplier, with offerings including antibioticAntibiotic
An antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.The term is often used synonymously with the term antibiotic; today, however, with increased knowledge of the causative agents of various infectious diseases, antibiotic has come to denote a broader range of...
s, buffers
Buffer solution
A buffer solution is an aqueous solution consisting of a mixture of a weak acid and its conjugate base or a weak base and its conjugate acid. It has the property that the pH of the solution changes very little when a small amount of strong acid or base is added to it. Buffer solutions are used as a...
, carbohydrates, enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
s, forensic tools
Forensics
Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...
, hematology
Hematology
Hematology, also spelled haematology , is the branch of biology physiology, internal medicine, pathology, clinical laboratory work, and pediatrics that is concerned with the study of blood, the blood-forming organs, and blood diseases...
and histology
Histology
Histology is the study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues of plants and animals. It is performed by examining cells and tissues commonly by sectioning and staining; followed by examination under a light microscope or electron microscope...
, nucleotide
Nucleotide
Nucleotides are molecules that, when joined together, make up the structural units of RNA and DNA. In addition, nucleotides participate in cellular signaling , and are incorporated into important cofactors of enzymatic reactions...
s, protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
s, peptide
Peptide
Peptides are short polymers of amino acid monomers linked by peptide bonds. They are distinguished from proteins on the basis of size, typically containing less than 50 monomer units. The shortest peptides are dipeptides, consisting of two amino acids joined by a single peptide bond...
s, amino acid
Amino acid
Amino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side-chain that varies between different amino acids. The key elements of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen...
s and their derivatives.
Sigma RBI
Sigma RBI produces specialized products for use in the field of cell signalingCell signaling
Cell signaling is part of a complex system of communication that governs basic cellular activities and coordinates cell actions. The ability of cells to perceive and correctly respond to their microenvironment is the basis of development, tissue repair, and immunity as well as normal tissue...
and neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
. Their offerings range from standard biochemical reagents to the latest cutting–edge research tools, including new ligand
Ligand
In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding between metal and ligand generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's electron pairs. The nature of metal-ligand bonding can range from...
s for receptors
Receptor (biochemistry)
In biochemistry, a receptor is a molecule found on the surface of a cell, which receives specific chemical signals from neighbouring cells or the wider environment within an organism...
and ion channel
Ion channel
Ion channels are pore-forming proteins that help establish and control the small voltage gradient across the plasma membrane of cells by allowing the flow of ions down their electrochemical gradient. They are present in the membranes that surround all biological cells...
s, novel enzyme inhibitor
Enzyme inhibitor
An enzyme inhibitor is a molecule that binds to enzymes and decreases their activity. Since blocking an enzyme's activity can kill a pathogen or correct a metabolic imbalance, many drugs are enzyme inhibitors. They are also used as herbicides and pesticides...
s, phosphospecific antibodies
Antibody
An antibody, also known as an immunoglobulin, is a large Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique part of the foreign target, termed an antigen...
, key signal transduction enzymes, and assay
Assay
An assay is a procedure in molecular biology for testing or measuring the activity of a drug or biochemical in an organism or organic sample. A quantitative assay may also measure the amount of a substance in a sample. Bioassays and immunoassays are among the many varieties of specialized...
kits for cell signaling.
ISOTEC
ISOTEC provides isotopicallyIsotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
labeled products for protein structure
Protein structure
Proteins are an important class of biological macromolecules present in all organisms. Proteins are polymers of amino acids. Classified by their physical size, proteins are nanoparticles . Each protein polymer – also known as a polypeptide – consists of a sequence formed from 20 possible L-α-amino...
determination, peptide synthesis
Peptide synthesis
In organic chemistry, peptide synthesis is the production of peptides, which are organic compounds in which multiple amino acids are linked via amide bonds which are also known as peptide bonds...
, proteomics
Proteomics
Proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins, particularly their structures and functions. Proteins are vital parts of living organisms, as they are the main components of the physiological metabolic pathways of cells. The term "proteomics" was first coined in 1997 to make an analogy with...
, metabolic
Metabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
research, magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , or magnetic resonance tomography is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures...
, nuclear magnetic resonance
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Nuclear magnetic resonance is a physical phenomenon in which magnetic nuclei in a magnetic field absorb and re-emit electromagnetic radiation...
, breath test
Breath test
A breath test is a type of test performed on air generated from the act of exhalation.Types include:*Breathalyzer - By far the most common usage of this term relates to the legal breath test to determine if a person is driving under the influence of alcohol.*Hydrogen breath test - it is becoming...
substrates
Substrate (biochemistry)
In biochemistry, a substrate is a molecule upon which an enzyme acts. Enzymes catalyze chemical reactions involving the substrate. In the case of a single substrate, the substrate binds with the enzyme active site, and an enzyme-substrate complex is formed. The substrate is transformed into one or...
, agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, as well as gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
and gas mixes.
Fluka
Fluka manufactures chemicals and reagents for analytical, organic and biochemical research, and intermediates for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.Riedel-de Haën
Riedel-de Haën was incorporated with Sigma-Aldrich in 1999 and manufactures reagents and standards.Supelco
Supelco is the chromotography products branch of Sigma-Aldrich. It provides chromatographyChromatography
Chromatography is the collective term for a set of laboratory techniques for the separation of mixtures....
columns and related tools for environmental
Environment (biophysical)
The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...
, government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
, medical and chemical laboratories; sample preparation products and chemical reference standards.
Sigma-Aldrich Fine Chemicals
Sigma-Aldrich Fine Chemicals (SAFC) is the fine chemical supply branch of Sigma-Aldrich specializing in raw materials for cell cultureCell culture
Cell culture is the complex process by which cells are grown under controlled conditions. In practice, the term "cell culture" has come to refer to the culturing of cells derived from singlecellular eukaryotes, especially animal cells. However, there are also cultures of plants, fungi and microbes,...
products; customized services for raw materials, manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Sigma Life Science (formally Sigma-Genosys)
Sigma Life Science provides products such as custom DNADNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
/RNA
RNA
Ribonucleic acid , or RNA, is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life....
oligo
Oligonucleotide
An oligonucleotide is a short nucleic acid polymer, typically with fifty or fewer bases. Although they can be formed by bond cleavage of longer segments, they are now more commonly synthesized, in a sequence-specific manner, from individual nucleoside phosphoramidites...
s; custom DNA and LNA probes; siRNA
Sírna
Sírna Sáeglach , son of Dian mac Demal, son of Demal mac Rothechtaid, son of Rothechtaid mac Main, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland...
; isotopically-labelled peptides and peptide libraries.
Carbolabs
CarbolabsCarbolabs
Carbolabs, Inc., a chemistry company specializing in reactions utilizing phosgene, was founded by Joe Karabinos in 1967. Originally located in the basement of his home in Bethany, Connecticut, it wasn't until the following year that the business was moved into its own dedicated building. The...
produces research quantities of chemicals produced by phosgenation reactions. The company was acquired in 1998.