<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#000000">A few caveats about glycerin:</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#000000"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#000000">Before committing to putting a large squid in glycerin, you should test how it will behave due to the difference in density between alcohol (0.890 g/cm3) vs. glycerin (at 100%, it is 1.26 g/cm3, though of course diluted to 60% will be a bit less). This may be important due to the density of the specimen itself compared to the density of vertebrate specimens stored in glycerin.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#000000"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#000000">As you work on the design for the new exhibit, don't forget that due to its density, the volume of glycerin will be a lot heavier than a similar volume of alcohol. In a large aquarium-type exhibition this weight difference may affect seams and seals.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#000000"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#000000">Lastly, mold in the glycerin is not the only thing you have to worry about--don't forget bacterial infestations. Using some sort of biocide as a preventive measure may be necessary (traditionally thymol has been used, but as Simon Moore has pointed out, you can use less dangerous chemicals such as camphor as well). The other aspect of contamination is that if the seal on the container is faulty so that it admits mold spores or bacteria, in a humid environment the hygroscopic glycerin can absorb enough moisture to overflow the container. In a previous job I had to to take care of a collection of about 3,000 cleared-and-stained specimens stored in glycerin, and even though there was next to no loss due to evaporation, during a humid summer we could always count on a few containers overflowing (we had no mold or bacterial issues becaused thymol as a biocide).</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#000000"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#000000">--John<br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#000000"><br clear="all"></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><font size="2"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">John E. Simmons<br>Writer and Museum Consultant</span></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font size="2"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Museologica<br><i>and</i><br>Associate Curator of Collections<br>Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery<br>Penn State University<br><i>and</i><br>Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia<br>Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima</span></font><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, Feb 4, 2022 at 12:47 PM Dirk Neumann <<a href="mailto:neumann@snsb.de">neumann@snsb.de</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div>
<div>Hi Bo,</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>maybe a comment pointing into a
slightly different direction (similar to what colleagues did in
Berlin), as you mentioned you are planning for a major renovation
of your exhibitions:</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>An alternative would be to have a
cabinet that is "inaccessible" for visitors and equipped with
necessary installations to comply with fire-safety regulations
(like a tank in an public aquarium). Thus the specimen would be
visible for the visitors, the container as such however would not
be part of the publicly accessible visitor space. This could help
to avoid transferring the specimen into a different fluid,
potentially causing secondary conservation problems.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>At the MfN in Berlin they used this
alternative to make the fluid collections accessible and
discoverable for visitors, while keeping the visitor and
collection space simultaneously strictly separated. They also used
this concept for a huge glass cabinet that shows a large diversity
of collection objects on display, including fluid-preserved
specimens.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Maybe worth a thought ...</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>With best wishes</div>
<div>Dirk<br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Am 04.02.2022 um 16:40 schrieb Bo
Delling:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)" lang="EN-US">Hi
again,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)" lang="EN-US"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)" lang="EN-US">Thank
you all for detailed and interesting information on this
topic. Glycerol seems to be very interesting making nice
specimens for exhibitions if you have fresh specimens with
nice color. I will try it in the future for some small
richly coloured fish. Is it correct that if you keep the
concentration at 65% you don’t run in to problems with
mould?
<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)" lang="EN-US"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)" lang="EN-US">Regarding our squid(s)
they aren’t that nice and if we can’t continue with ethanol
I think we transfer selected specimen to a formalin solution
after all (Jon, thank you for the publication with relevant
references). James, I will check if we have any pictures and
size estimates. The length of the mantel is about 1 m for
both specimens. Ironically, the one we had for display is
the one in worst condition (in several pieces, semi rotten I
would say) collected close to Scotland around 1990 or so.
The other one was collected by a shrimp trawler from Sweden
in 1960 and this specimen have commonly been referred to as
“the green squid” . Initially it was stored in a tank made
of cupper. Nevertheless it’s in much better physical
condition and consequently we will continue having a giant
squid on display but not the same specimen.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)" lang="EN-US"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)" lang="EN-US">Cheers,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)" lang="EN-US"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)" lang="EN-US">Bo<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<div>
<div style="border-color:rgb(225,225,225) currentcolor currentcolor;border-style:solid none none;border-width:1pt medium medium;padding:3pt 0cm 0cm">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span>Från:</span></b><span> Nhcoll-l
<a href="mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu" target="_blank"><nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu></a>
<b>För </b>Bo Delling<br>
<b>Skickat:</b> den 3 februari 2022 12:15<br>
<b>Till:</b> '<a href="mailto:nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu" target="_blank">nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu</a>'
<a href="mailto:nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu" target="_blank"><nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu></a><br>
<b>Ämne:</b> [Nhcoll-l] Formalin in exhibition instead
of ethanol<u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10pt;line-height:115%"><a name="m_7940010751146463768__GoBack"></a><span lang="EN-US">Dear
all,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10pt;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US">Up to recently we had a giant squid
<i>Architeuthis </i>sp<i>. </i>in exhibition (“Liv in
Vatten” = Life in Water/Aquatic life). It was contained in
an aquarium, 80% ethanol (650 liters!). For the moment, we
are planning for thorough modernization, i.e. the exhibition
will be rebuilt from scratch but we wish to keep the squid.
It is very popular. However, we might face problems
regarding fire safety regulations and one idea that came up
was to transfer the specimen to weak formalin solution (1%).
<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10pt;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US">-Anyone having any experience and perhaps
suggestions regarding concentration and suitable buffer?<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10pt;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US">My limited experience is based on museum
specimens (mainly fishes) that previously were in the old
NRM exhibitions. I come across them now and then in the
scientific collection and according to older documents, the
ethanol was replaced with formalin around 1960 because the
expense. Anyway, this old exhibition jars with specimens
look very nice (except for bleaching of specimens) and the
fluid (formalin solution) looks like clear water. <u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10pt;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US">All the best,
<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:10pt;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US">Bo<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Bo Delling, PhD Ichthyology<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Curator of Fishes and Herptiles<span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u><u></u></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Swedish Museum of Natural History<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Department of Zoology<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Frescativägen 44<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">P.O. Box 50007<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>SE-104
05 Stockholm<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Phone:
+46 85195 4240<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<br>
<fieldset></fieldset>
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</blockquote>
<p><br>
</p>
<div>-- <br>
<p><img src="cid:17ed61fe1f5b92f4ab1" alt="" width="152" height="59"></p>
<p><br>
Dirk Neumann<br>
<br>
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