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<p class="MsoNormal">Hello NHcoll colleagues,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m after some advice on the pros and cons of preserving vertebrate specimens in ethanol versus isopropanol.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I work in a museum fish collection. For historic (and financial) reasons, we store our large fish specimens in tanks of isopropanol. Sometimes, when we lend them to other institutions the receiving institution doesn't have the facilities
to store them in isopropanol and so store them in ethanol. Does anyone know what is the consequence of having fish specimens preserved long term in 55% isopropanol, then sent on loan and stored in 70% ethanol? When they are returned to us, we put them back
into the same tanks of isopropanol. Does stepping (laddering) them in isopropanol (30%->40%->50%) once they return reduce any negative effects on the specimens? What is the best approach for managing this transition between preservatives?
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br>
What is people’s experience storing vertebrate specimens in isopropanol versus ethanol, in general? As mentioned, our large specimens are stored in isopropanol, but our small specimens are stored in ethanol. In the next 2-3 years we will need to move the collection
into a new facility and to do so will have to drain the isopropanol out of the large storage tanks. This is an opportunity to consider whether we should replace isopropanol with ethanol - so the whole collection will be stored in ethanol. What is people’s
advice on this? Overall, we are currently happy with the condition of the specimens in isopropanol and like how they are not as brittle as ones stored in ethanol. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="mi-NZ" style="mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ">Thanks<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="mi-NZ" style="mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ">Ngâ mihi, Julia<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#70AD47;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#70AD47;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#70AD47;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ">Julia Wilson-Davey</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#5F5F5F;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ"> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#424242;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ"> | </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ">Kaitiaki
Taonga Collection Manager Natural<span style="color:black"> History <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ">Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa,<span style="color:#2F2F2F">
<br>
</span><span style="color:black">55 Cable Street, PO Box 467, Wellington, New Zealand</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#70AD47;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ">P</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#5F5F5F;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ"> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#2F2F2F;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ">(+64)
021 726 904 </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#5F5F5F;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ">|
</span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#70AD47;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ">E</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#5F5F5F;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ"><a href="mailto:Julia.Wilson-Davey@tepapa.govt.nz"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0563C1;mso-ligatures:none">Julia.Wilson-Davey@tepapa.govt.nz</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#2F2F2F;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#5F5F5F;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ">|
</span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#70AD47;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ">W
</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ"><a href="www.tepapa.govt.nz "><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0563C1;mso-ligatures:none">www.tepapa.govt.nz </span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#2F2F2F;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ">My pronouns are she/her
<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:#00682F;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:#00682F;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ">Âta whakaarohia a Papatûânuku i mua i tô tânga i tçnei î-mçra</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:#5F5F5F;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ">Please consider the environment before printing this email.</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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