Formamide is derived from formic acid, and is used as a cryoprotectant and gel-stabilizer. It is known to destabilize nucleic acid duplexes by lowering the melting temperature. This makes formamide useful for preparing hybridization buffers for RNA and DNA applications, as well as northern/Southern blotting and in situ hybridization. The formamide is deionized to ensure the most accurate experimental results.