[NHCOLL-L:4904] Re: Seeking papers on isopropyl alcohol

[A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl]

Dear Melissa,

An aspect of isopropanol not yet mentioned:

"Secondary alcohols are readily autoxidized in contact with oxygen or
air, forming ketones and hydrogen peroxide. A partly full bottle of
2-propanol exposed to sunlight for a long period became 0.36 molar in
peroxide and potentially explosive."
[Bretherick, L. Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards. 4th ed. Boston,
MA: Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd., 1990, p. 1395] **PEER REVIEWED**

Both ethanol and isopropanol have dehydrative properties which make them
good antiseptics and good preservatives, but also cause to certain
extent tissue shrinkage.

Isopropanol is in terms of stability less recommendable, because it
forms dangerously unstable peroxides. Peroxides are very reactive and
are known to have a bleaching and corrosive effect on the specimen
tissue. Extensive information about isopropanol can be found on TOXNET
in the HSDB database provided by the NIH.

See also my paper about possible alternatives for formalin and ethanol
(comparing also the health and hazard risks) in Collection Forum:
DMDM-Hydantoin: The Promising Result of a Search for an Alternative in
Fluid Preservation of Biological Specimens
http://140.247.98.87/files/CF18-1_2.htm

Regards,

Dries

Andries J. van Dam, conservator

Museum of Anatomy
Leiden University Medical Center 
Postal zone T7-P
P.O. Box 9600 
2300 RC Leiden 
The Netherlands 
tel: +31 (0)71 526 9581
fax: +31 (0)71 526 8275 
E-mail: A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl
Visiting address: Hippocratespad 21, building 3

Associate scientist, Natural History Museum, London
http://www.nhm.ac.uk

Directory Board member ICOM-CC
http://www.icom-cc.org 

Director Alcomon Company
http://www.alcomon.com 


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu
[mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] On Behalf Of H.J. Walker
Sent: donderdag 29 juli 2010 2:44
To: simmons.johne at gmail.com
Cc: m.alanebarton at gmail.com; NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:4903] Re: Seeking papers on isopropyl alcohol

Hello Melissa,
It's nice that John has provided a section from his book.  We have 
corresponded many times.  I'll be brief, leaving soon for time at sea 
and vacation.
We basically have two options for preservatives in the ichs and herps 
world, ethanol and isopropanol, and both are meant to be used after 
specimens have proper fixation in formalin.  We have no indication here 
(below) of how many of these studies used formalin properly.  In our 
short discussion (Walker et al. 1995), many of the supposed 
disadvantages of isopropanol were found negligible.  In addition, 
ethanol also causes specimen shrinkage and extracts lipids and pigments 
from cellular membranes.  What would happen if ethanol concentrations 
were allowed to dip below 30-40%?  I'm sure that clearing of tissues 
would be a problem. 
Enough, have a good day,
H.J.

John E Simmons wrote:
> Melissa,
> I am currently working on a book on fluid preservation and have 
> compiled a bibliography of about 850 references.  I have pasted the 
> current draft of the section on isopropyl below.  Please let me know 
> if you have any other questions.
>
> Sincerely,
> John
>
> John E. Simmons
> Museologica
> 128 E. Burnside Street
> Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823-2010
> simmons.johne at gmail.com <mailto:simmons.johne at gmail.com>
> 303-681-5708
> www.museologica.com <http://www.museologica.com>
> and
> Adjunct Curator of Collections
> Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery
> Penn State University
> University Park, Pennsylvania
>
> Isopropyl alcohol is also known as isopropanol, propanol-2, and 
> dimethyl carbinol (Browning 1965).  Previously used trade names that 
> may still be encountered in the literature include Perspirit, Propol, 
> Hartosol, Optal, and Avantine.  Isopropyl is a clear, colorless liquid

> with a distinct odor, miscible with water, alcohol, and ether.  It is 
> manufactured from propylene, as a byproduct of the racking of 
> petroleum hydrocarbons, and from the hydrogenation of acetone with 
> catalysts (Browning 1965). 
>
>  
>
> Isopropyl alcohol was first made in 1855, but it did not go into 
> commercial production until 1920 in the United States (Hatch 1961).  
> It was recommended as an alternative preservative to ethanol, without 
> being tested, as early as 1922 (Griffin 1922).  A notice in /Turtox 
> News/ in 1934 complained of the high taxes on ethanol, the red-tape 
> necessary to buy it tax-free, and the additives used to produce 
> denatured ethanol.  The recommended solution was isopropyl alcohol.  
> The recommendation for its use came despite the fact that "Sufficient 
> experimentation has not been carried on in connection with its use in 
> biological work to warrant a dogmatic statement from us that it can 
> /always/ be used as a substitute, but our preliminary work justifies 
> this /belief/" (Windsor 1934:216).  There was a conflict-of-interest 
> in the recommendation to change to isopropyl alcohol:  "Where can you 
> buy isopropanol?  Turtox will gladly accept your orders for it" 
> (Windsor 1934:217).  At that time, anhydrous isopropanol was $3.75 per

> gallon (for an 88% solution), but "the grade used for general 
> preservation" was just $2.50/gallon (Windsor 1934:217).
>
>  
>
> In 1922, Philip Pope preserved one specimen of a newt each in jars of 
> 40%, 50%, 60%, 70% and 80% isopropanol, with one specimen in 70% 
> ethanol for a control (Pope 1928).  Pope examined the newts after a 
> mere six years in the preservative, and decided that the 40-50% 
> isopropyl preserved specimens were fine, even though he could not find

> the control to compare them to.  The advantages that Pope listed for 
> isopropyl were that it had no restrictions, was inexpensive, could be 
> used in low concentrations, was not irritating like formaldehyde, and 
> did not soften bones or teeth like formaldehyde (Pope 1928).  However,

> 45-50% isopropanol has been shown to cause considerable shrinkage of 
> specimens, it can be difficult to mix thoroughly, it is prone to 
> layering in specimen containers, it may soften bone, and it may cause 
> clearing of tissues if concentrations fall below 30-40% (Fink et al. 
> 1979).  DiStefano et al. (1994) found 50% isopropyl failed to prevent 
> tissue decay in fish and crayfish.  The permeability of the epidermis 
> (the solute absorbed per ml of tissue) for methanol is 0.6, for 
> ethanol 0.9, and for propanol 1.3, thus isopropyl penetrates epidermis

> best (Schaefer et al. 1982).  It is important to note that isopropyl 
> is twice as toxic as ethanol (Monick 1968).
>
>  
>
> King and Porter (2004) reported observational data that long-term 
> storage in isopropyl alcohol results in greater fading of ant 
> specimens, probably due to the greater propensity of isopropyl and 
> other long-chain alcohols to extract lipids, proteins, and pigments 
> from cellular membranes at high concentrations (Goates and Knutson 
> 1994).  Some workers, particularly ichthyologists, have reported that 
> they prefer isopropyl preserved specimens because they are more 
> flexible than alcohol preserved specimens (Fink et al. 1979, Walker et

> al. 1995); however, isopropyl preserved specimens are flexible because

> the tissue matrix has undergone more breakdown that tissues do in 
> ethanol (Stoddard 1989); in an accelerating aging study, Von Endt 
> (2000) found that isopropyl induces more deterioration of collagen 
> than ethanol.
>
>  
>
> When isopropyl is mixed with water, the resulting solution undergoes 
> contraction, so solutions should be mixed on a weight basis rather 
> than a volume basis (Hatch 1961).
>
>  
>
> Browning, E.  1965.  /Toxicity and Metabolism of Industrial 
> Solvents/.  Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, xi + 739 pages.
>
> DiStefano, R.J., M.J. Roell, B.A. Wagner, and J.J. Decoske.  1994.  
> Relative performances of four preservatives on fish and crayfish.  
> /Transactions of the American Fisheries Society/ 123:817-823
>
> Fink, W.L., K.E. Hartel, W.G. Saul, E.M. Koon, and E.O. Wiley.  1979.

> A report on current supplies and practices used in curation of 
> ichthyological collections.  American Society of Ichthyologists and 
> Herpetologists ad hoc Subcommittee Report, 63 pages.
>
> Goates, C.Y. and K. Knutson.  1994.  Enhanced permeation of polar 
> compounds through human epidermis.  I.  Permeability and membrane 
> structural changes in the presence of shorter chain alcohols.  
> /Biochimica et Biophysica Acta/ 1195:169-179.
>
> Griffin, L.F.  1922.  Practicable substitutes for grain alcohol.  
> /Science/ 55(1419):262-263.
>
> Hatch, L.F.  1961.  /Isopropyl Alcohol/.  McGraw-Hill Book Company, 
> Inc., New York, x + 184 pages.
>
> King, J.R., and S.D. Porter.  2004.  Recommendations on the use of 
> alcohols for preservation of ant specimens (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).

> /Insect Sociaux/ 51(2):197-202.
>
> Monick, J. A.  1968.  /Alcohols:  Their Chemistry, Properties and 
> Manufacture/.    Reinhold Book Corporation, New York, xiv + 594 pages.
>
> Pope, P.H.  1928.  Isopropyl alcohol as a preservative.  /Science/ 
> 68(1768):487-488. 
>
> Schaefer, H., A. Zesch, and G. Stuttgen.  1982.  /Skin Permeability/.

> Springer-Verlag, Berlin, ix + 541-896 pages.
>
> Stoddard, R. W.  1989.  Fixatives and preservatives:  their effects on

> tissue.  Pages 1-25 _in_ Horie, C. V. (editor).  /Conservation of 
> Natural History Specimens:  Spirit Collections/.  The Manchester 
> Museum and Department of Environmental Biology, The University of 
> Manchester, Manchester, viii + 115 pages.
>
> Von Endt, D.W.  2000.  Staying in shape: the stability of structural 
> proteins in natural history museum storage fluids.  /Polymer 
> Preprints/ 41(2):1794-1795.
>
> Walker, H.J., G.H. Burgess, A.Y. Suzumoto, C.I. Klepadio, L. 
> VanGuelpen, and J.M. Humphries.  1995.  Isopropanol revisited.  
> /Curation Newsletter/ 11:3-4. 
>
> Windsor, A. S.  1934.  Alcohol notes.  /Turtox News/ 12(11):215-217. 
>
>
>
> I'm looking for papers or published resources on the use of isopropyl 
> alcohol or 2-propanol (sometimes called "isopropanol") in museum 
> collections, specifically
>
> -Effects on specimens when used as a storage/preservation medium for 
> wet collections
> -Risks to human health of isopropyl alcohol wet collections
> -Comparison of health and fire risks--isopropyl alcohol and ethanol
>
> I haven't been able to come across much on isopropyl alcohol 
> specifically--most papers seem to deal with ethanol or formalin. 
> Personal opinions are interesting, but I am really looking for 
> published resources about isopropyl alcohol in museum collections.
>
> Thanks,
> Melissa
> -- 
>
-- 
 H.J. Walker, Jr.
 Scripps Institution of Oceanography
 University of California, San Diego  0208
 La Jolla, CA   92093-0208
 USA
 hjwalker at ucsd.edu
 phone:858-534-2199   fax:858-534-5306

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