CHAPS (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate) is a zwitterionic detergent widely used in membrane protein research due to its unique charge characteristics. As a zwitterion, CHAPS carries both positive and negative charges, allowing it to interact effectively with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions of membrane proteins. This property is advantageous in solubilizing membrane proteins while maintaining a neutral overall charge, thereby mitigating potential interference in downstream analyses.

The zwitterionic nature of CHAPS has been extensively explored in the literature, with studies highlighting its utility in maintaining protein stability during purification and structural characterization. For example,CHAPS maintains protein stability during purification and structural characterization. Zwitterionic detergents, such as CHAPS, are efficient at breaking protein-protein interactions and are less harsh than ionic detergents.

They successfully maintain the native state and charge of individual proteins, making them useful in various applications such as chromatography and electrophoresis.