[Nhcoll-l] Formalin testing

[Simon Moore]

I have used either a drop of Schiff reagent or Feulgen reagent in a small sample of fluid 

With all good wishes, Simon Moore. 
Sent from my iPhone


> On 24 May 2021, at 23:31, Irene Finkelde <irenefinkelde at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> Hi Paul
> 
> A few years ago I did some research into different methods to test formaldehyde concentration in fluid preservatives. I tested two brands of test strips, a commercially available titration kit, and a titration method (originally developed by Robert Waller and refined very slightly by myself). The full article will be published in Collection Forum soon. 
> 
> You could try using the commercially available titration test kit (Hach Formaldehyde Test Kit: Model FM-1). This can test formaldehyde concentration in solution within the ranges of either 0.05 - 1% or 0.5% - 10% formaldehyde in solution (terminology is important when using the test and interpreting the results – what we often call “10% formalin” is 4% w/v formaldehyde gas in water). The manual can be downloaded from the Hach website if you want to look at the titration method before you purchase it. 
> The solid reagent supplied with this test kit is insoluble in ethanol, which is an issue when testing for residual formalin in alcohol solutions and following the manufacturers instructions. When I tested ethanol solutions, I adapted the method and I first dissolved the contents of the reagent sachet in a beaker with 10ml demineralised water and added that to the sample before titration. Even though the sample was diluted the drops of titrant were still counted as though each drop represented 0.05% formaldehyde.
> I preferred using titration methods to the test strips, as it is easier to quantify the results and I found the test strips to be quite time consuming to get a result, as multiple dilutions can be required. 
> 
> Happy to discuss with you if you have any questions. 
> 
> Irene Finkelde 
> 
> On Tue, May 25, 2021 at 4:00 AM Callomon,Paul <prc44 at drexel.edu> wrote:
>> Folks,
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Here in the USA, what do you use to test for formaldehyde in alcohol solutions? We used to have test strips, but I’m having trouble finding something cheap and reliable now.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Paul Callomon
>> 
>> Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates
>> 
>> Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
>> 
>> 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia PA 19103-1195, USA
>> prc44 at drexel.edu Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170
>> 
>>  
>> 
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> NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
> mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of
> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
> society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
> Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate.
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