Sodium acetate buffer is widely used in biochemical and molecular biology applications to maintain a stable pH environment, typically in the range of 3.6 to 5.6. It is commonly employed in DNA and RNA extraction protocols, where it helps to stabilize nucleic acids and facilitate their precipitation when used with alcohol. In protein purification, this buffer supports consistent ion exchange and affinity chromatography conditions. It is also used in electrophoresis, especially in agarose gel running buffers for nucleic acid separation. Additionally, sodium acetate buffer serves as a component in staining and destaining solutions for gels, and in some enzyme reaction systems where pH control is critical for activity and stability.