Diethylpyrocarbonate

Diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) is used in the laboratory to remove the enzyme RNAse from water and other laboratory utensils.

Water is usually treated with 0.1% v/v diethylpyrocarbonate for at least 1 hour at 37°C and then autoclaved (at least 15 min) to inactivate traces of DEPC.

DEPC treated (and therefore free of RNAse) water is used in all handling of RNA in the laboratory, otherwise RNA would be degraded quickly by RNAse.