Cell Culture Washing: Rinses cells to remove serum, enzymes, or debris while maintaining osmolarity and pH.

Sample Dilution and Reconstitution: Dilutes antibodies, proteins, and reagents; reconstitutes lyophilized materials at defined ionic strength.

Immunofluorescence/Immunocytochemistry: Serves as a wash buffer between staining steps to minimize background.

ELISA and Western Blot Workflows: Used for plate and membrane washing; base buffer for adding detergents/proteins.

Flow Cytometry: Provides an isotonic wash and staining buffer (often supplemented with BSA/azide).

Microscopy: Maintains pH and ionic conditions for live and fixed cell imaging.

Cell and Tissue Handling: Rinses tissues, dissociates without divalent cations (when applicable), and transports specimens.

Microbiology Workflows: Washes and resuspends bacterial pellets (e.g., Escherichia coli) without nutrient carryover.

Chromatography and Protein Work: Acts as a low-reactivity buffer for column equilibration and fraction handling.

General Laboratory Buffer: Provides stable pH and ionic strength for routine protocols requiring a phosphate-buffered saline.