What is “Assay Buffer?”
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“Assay” is a test / procedure; we typically call an experiment in biology an “assay”. A buffer is a salt (of a weak acid combined with a weak base) that you add to a liquid (usually water) to keep the pH (amount of free protons) in the liquid from changing too much.
In biological experiments, it’s often the different enzymes or chemicals used tend to only work in a specific pH range, and a buffer helps keep the reactions from using or making enough H+ to mess up the reaction. They work by letting the H+ react with the buffer rather than other things in the experiment (technically, changing the equilibrium of the buffer’s acid-base between conjugated and unconjugated).
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