[Nhcoll-l] Wet collection best practices - historical fluids

[Couteaufin at aol.com]

Zenker was certainly a standard histological fixative as was Helly and both 
 contain Pot. dichromate.  However their use as gross  (specimen) fixatives 
is limited - specimens do not last well and even  histol, staining 
reactions will start to diminish if items are stored in these  fluids..  There is 
also alcoholic Bouin or Dubosq-Bresil fixative.   However I will add some more 
to the main list in time.
 
With all good  wishes, Simon

Simon Moore MIScT, FLS, ACR,
Conservator of Natural  Sciences and Cutlery Historian,

_www.natural-history-conservation.com_ 
(http://www.natural-history-conservation.com/)  
_www.pocket-fruit-knives.info_ (http://www.pocket-fruit-knives.info/)  

_http://uk.linkedin.com/in/naturalsciencespecimenconserve_ 
(http://uk.linkedin.com/in/naturalsciencespecimenconserve)   


In a message dated 24/10/2012 14:02:13 GMT Daylight Time,  
Erik.Ahlander at nrm.se writes:

Hi,

In the collection in Stockholm (NRM) we have large  material transferred 
from Stockholm University from the former "Zootomiska  Institutet" engaged in 
comparing anatomy. Major issue was collecting material  from 1890-1950 for 
sectioning and staining which leaves us to today with a  large material of 
animals without heads. Fixation was made with (besides  ethanol and formalin) 
with Bouin and Smith's solution (I guess its a mixture  of formalin, 
potassium dichromate, and maybe acetic acid). I think also  Zenker's fixative was 
sometimes used. Most of these specimens are now  transferred to ethanol, but 
those fixed with Bouin stain the ethanol yellow  also after many ethanol 
changes. Smith specimen are uniformely gray with no  pigmentation left.

We also made experiments with storing in Phenoxytol  in the mid 1970s, but 
the material became soft and we hade to transfer to  ethanol.

Erik Åhlander
Collection Manager
Wet Collection,  vertebrates
Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm  (NRM)

-----Original Message-----
From:  nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu 
[mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu]  On Behalf Of Joachim Haendel
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 10:59  AM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Wet collection  best practices - historical fluids

Hello all,

there are some  other fluids used for fixation and preservation.
(some of them are fairly  dangerous):

Solution of Mercury dichloride (Corrosive sublimate)  sometimes used for 
"vermes" and cnidaria,
also as part of  "Krygers  preservation fluid" and "Pennaks fixative"

"Barbers solution" which  contains ethanol, glacial acetic acid and benzene 
(!)

"Standfuss  preservation fluid":  carbon disulfide, benzene and peppermint  
oil

and "Bouin solution" which contains also Picric acid (explosive !)  in 
addition to formalin and lacial acetic  acid.


Joachim


-- 
Joachim Haendel         
Centre of Natural History Collections    
of the  Martin-Luther-University
- Entomological Collection  -      

Domplatz 4
D-06099 Halle (Saale)
Germany    

Phone: +49 345 - 55 26 447
Fax: +49 345 - 55 27 152
Email:  joachim.haendel at zns.uni-halle.de




_______________________________________________
Nhcoll-l  mailing  list
Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
http://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l
_______________________________________________
Nhcoll-l  mailing  list
Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
http://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.yale.edu/pipermail/nhcoll-l/attachments/20121024/d359e1df/attachment.html