Re: Clorohydrate
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From: | "J. A. Kiernan" <jkiernan@julian.uwo.ca> |
To: | "Schell, Maria G." <MSchell@mc.utmck.edu> |
Reply-To: | |
Date: | Sat, 12 Jun 1999 17:34:22 -0400 (EDT) |
Content-Type: | TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII |
On Thu, 10 Jun 1999, Schell, Maria G. wrote:
> Is there a substitute for clorohydrate ?
> I would like to use it to clear some plant tissue, but it is a contrlled
> substance and very hard to obtain. This was used years ago but I don't know
> if there is something new that works just as well.
I think you must mean chloral hydrate. For a water-soluble
substance to enhance transparency, how about glycerol? You can
transfer the specimen from alcohol or water to an alcohol-glycerol
mixture (less viscous, so it penetrates better than pure
glycerol) and then leave uncovered for the alcohol to evaporate
over the course of a few days. The refractive index of glycerol
(1.47) is a bit low. For real transparency dehydrate to 100%
alcohol, then transfer the specimen to benzyl benzoate (RI 1.57;
almost odourless), methyl benzoate (1.51; unpleasant smell) or methyl
salicylate (1.54; strong wintergreen smell). These three esters
are all miscible with 100% alcohol, xylene, and resinous mounting
media. (Glycerol mixes with alcohol or water, not with the other
liquids.)
Hope this helps.
John A. Kiernan,
Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology,
The University of Western Ontario,
LONDON, Canada N6A 5C1
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