N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine is an ethylenediamine derivative in which each nitrogen carries two methyl substituents. It is widely employed both as a ligand for metal ions and as a catalyst in organic polymerisation. It has a role as a chelator and a catalyst.
Thermo Scientific Tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED) is an essential catalyst for polyacrylamide gel polymerization. TEMED is used with ammonium persulfate (APS) to catalyze acrylamide polymerization when preparing gels for electrophoresis.