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<title>Telling formalin from ethanol</title>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Hi all,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">We just have ethanol (some IPA) and formalin in the collection so we found the easiest is to get thin cut-off strips of our Byron
Weston paper, run a waterproof marker down the length of it and dip the end into the liquid. Ethanol will make the waterproof marker run, formalin won’t. Seems to work for us and you don’t need to pick out the paper from the bottom of the jar.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Best wishes,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Kareen<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Kareen Schnabel, Ph.D.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Collection Manager<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""> nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>A.J.van_Dam@lumc.nl<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, 7 March 2014 4:33 a.m.<br>
<b>To:</b> Megan.Best@dfo-mpo.gc.ca; nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Nhcoll-l] Telling formalin from ethanol<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Dear Megan,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">A simple and safe method to distinguish ethanol and formalin filled specimens jars:
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">If you throw a tiny torn piece of paper in the jar, in ethanol it will sink right away.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Thrown in a jar with formalin (or any other water-based preservative) it will keep flowing for a very long time and it will be even hard to get
it sunk to the bottom of the jar. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Only by putting the paper first in ethanol, you can make it easily sink which is quite handy when wanting to add labels in formalin and/or glycerine.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Using tweezers to put/hold the paper in the fluid of the jar and watch its action (sinking or flowing) will keep you in control over the procedure
without having to fish for sunken pieces of paper.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Kind regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Dries<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Andries J. van Dam,
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#FF8000">conservator</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><br>
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Museum of Anatomy<br>
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E-mail: </span><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#0000FE"><a href="mailto:A.J.van_Dam@lumc.nl">A.J.van_Dam@lumc.nl</a><br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">
<a href="mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu">nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu</a> [<a href="mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu">mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu</a>]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Best, Megan<br>
<b>Sent:</b> donderdag 6 maart 2014 15:03<br>
<b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu">nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Nhcoll-l] Telling formalin from ethanol<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Hello all,</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">I’ve been benefitting from the conversations on this listserv for some time now,</span><span lang="EN-CA">
</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">really fascinating and useful stuff.</span><span lang="EN-CA"> </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""> I manage a research collection, mostly of marine invertebrates,
and I have a question:</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Is there an easy way to tell if</span><span lang="EN-CA">
</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">a fixative is formalin or ethanol? </span><span lang="EN-CA">
</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Aside from the smell test!</span><span lang="EN-CA"> </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""> I’m looking to organise</span><span lang="EN-CA">
</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">hundreds of jars from various benthic surveys, and we want to switch out anything that’s in formalin to ethanol. The formalin is buffered so I don’t think a pH difference would be a strong
indicator. Any ideas/advice would be appreciated.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">-Megan</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:green">Megan Best</span></b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><br>
<span style="color:green">Invertebrate Taxonomy</span><br>
</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:green">tel: 902.426.2791 email:
<a href="mailto:megan.best@dfo-mpo.gc.ca">megan.best@dfo-mpo.gc.ca</a></span><span lang="EN-CA"><br>
</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:green">Ocean and Ecosystem Sciences Division | Division des sciences de l'écosystème et de la mer</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><br>
<span style="color:green">Department of Fisheries and Oceans | Ministère des Pêches et Oceans</span></span><span lang="EN-CA"><br>
</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:green">Government of Canada | Government du Canada</span><span lang="EN-CA"><br>
</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:green">Bedford Institute of Oceanography | Institut Océanographique de Bedford</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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