[NHCOLL-L:4367] Re: how to dissolve and puffer paraformaldehyde in the field?

[John P. Friel]

In my own experience, concentrated formalin solution has been  
available in every African nation I have worked in via medical or  
agricultural chemical supply companies in larger cities. Thus, you may  
not need to deal with paraformaldehyde, unless you are certain it will  
not be available where you are going.

- John

On Jun 24, 2009, at 2:59 AM, Dirk Neumann wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> for our next field trip to Africa we are considering to fixate  
> specimens with puffered paraformaldehyde solution; to carry  
> cristalline paraformaldehyde is onboard of aircraft is  100 %  
> conform with IATA regulations and thus avoiding difficulties of  
> liquid formalin solutions (to carry solutions with concentrations  
> < / = 10 % is uneffecetive in terms of fixations effort per carried  
> quantity).
>
> For puffering, the "Fish Collection Methods and Standards" recommend  
> to puffer 16g paraformaldehyde with 4 g anhydrous sodium carbonate  
> and dissolve in 400 ml distilled water to have a 10 % buffered  
> formalin solution (refers to McAllister, 1965).
>
> Do you have experiences with this method or are there any other  
> methods to solve and puffer paraformaldehyde ?
>
> Thanks for your comments & help
>
> Dirk
> -- 
> Dirk Neumann
>
> Tel: 089 / 8107-111
> Fax: 089 / 8107-300
> email: Dirk.Neumann(a)zsm.mwn.de
>
> Postanschrift:
>
> Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns
> Zoologische Staatssammlung München
> Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Labor
> Münchhausenstr. 21
> 81247 München
>
> Besuchen Sie unsere Sammlung:
> http://www.zsm.mwn.de/ich/
>
> ---------
>
> Dirk Neumann
>
> Tel: +49-89-8107-111
> Fax: +49-89-8107-300
> email: Dirk.Neumann(a)zsm.mwn.de
>
> postal address:
>
> Bavarian Natural History Collections
> The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology
> Dirk Neumann, Section Ichthyology / DNA-Lab
> Muenchhausenstr. 21
> 81247 Munich (Germany)
>
> Visit our section at:
> http://www.zsm.mwn.de/ich/

--
John P. Friel, Ph.D.
Curator of Fishes, Amphibians & Reptiles
Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca, NY 14850-1923 USA

jpf19 at cornell.edu
t. +607.254.2162
f. +607.254.2415

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