<div dir="ltr"><div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_default">Jessica,</div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_default">Although arsenic exposure is a possibility, I think it is far more likely that the fluid specimen was stored in a copper container. I have seen the same color green in anuran skeletons stored in copper containers. There were a number of substances added to fluid preservatives that stained specimens green (e.g., alum).</div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_default"><br></div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_default">If you know anyone who has an arsenic test kit you could probably confirm whether it is arsenic green. The test kits are relatively easy to use.</div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_default"><br></div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_default">--John</div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_default"><br></div></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>Research Associate, Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery</span></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font size="2"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Penn State University</span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><i>and</i></span></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font size="2"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">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 Wed, Sep 24, 2025 at 2:35 PM Tir, Jessica K <<a href="mailto:jessica.tir@wsu.edu" target="_blank">jessica.tir@wsu.edu</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 dir="ltr" style="font-family:Aptos,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Hi all,</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family:Aptos,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family:Aptos,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
There is a mint green razorbill skeleton in our collection. The particular shade of green reminds me of arsenic-based pigments like Paris/Scheele's green. I’m wondering if any of you have encountered a green skeleton like this or have guesses about what happened
here?</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family:Aptos,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family:Aptos,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
This bird was collected in 1951 and preserved in fluid until 1968 when it was converted to a skeleton. I don’t have any other information about what chemicals or treatments were applied to the specimen.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family:Aptos,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family:Aptos,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Thoughts?</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family:Aptos,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family:Aptos,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Best,</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family:Aptos,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Jess</div>
<div id="m_-7199628223398190499m_-5390957517702727107ms-outlook-mobile-body-separator-line" dir="ltr" style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_MSFontService,-apple-system,Roboto,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_MSFontService,-apple-system,Roboto,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">
<br>
</div>
</div>
<div style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_MSFontService,-apple-system,Roboto,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt" id="m_-7199628223398190499m_-5390957517702727107ms-outlook-mobile-signature">
<p style="margin:0in;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"> </p>
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="box-sizing:border-box;border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0px">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="border-width:medium 1pt medium medium;border-style:none solid none none;border-color:currentcolor rgb(89,89,89) currentcolor currentcolor;padding:0in 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:67.5pt;height:3.7pt">
<p style="margin:0in;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(166,15,45)"><b><img src="cid:ii_1997d0a7b7c4cff311" alt="Washington State University Logo: W, S, U, letters create a cougar head." id="m_-7199628223398190499m_-5390957517702727107Graphic_x0020_1" width="67" height="67" style="width: 0.7083in; height: 0.7083in; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"></b></span></p>
</td>
<td style="padding:0in 0.15in;vertical-align:top;width:301.5pt;height:3.7pt">
<p style="margin:0in;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(166,15,45)"><b>Jessica Tir
</b></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:8pt;color:rgb(89,89,89)">(she/her)</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:9pt;color:rgb(77,77,77)">Curator</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:9pt;color:rgb(77,77,77)">Charles R. Conner Museum</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:9pt;color:rgb(77,77,77)">School of Biological Sciences</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:9pt;color:rgb(77,77,77)">Washington State University</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:9pt;color:rgb(77,77,77)">Office: 509-335-3515</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:9pt;color:rgb(77,77,77)">Email:
</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:9pt;color:rgb(5,99,193)"><u><a href="mailto:jessica.tir@wsu.edu" style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px" target="_blank">jessica.tir@wsu.edu</a></u></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:9pt;color:rgb(77,77,77)"><u><a href="https://sbs.wsu.edu/conner-museum/" style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px" target="_blank">Conner
Museum Website</a></u></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="margin:0in;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"> </p>
<p style="margin:0in;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"> </p>
<p style="margin:0in;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"> </p>
</div>
</div>
_______________________________________________<br>
Nhcoll-l mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu" target="_blank">Nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu</a><br>
<a href="https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l</a><br>
<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of<br>
Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose<br>
mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of<br>
natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to<br>
society. See <a href="http://www.spnhc.org" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.spnhc.org</a> for membership information.<br>
Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate.<br>
</blockquote></div>