On Saturday, February 20, 1999 at 12:00:34 pm VUT,
"Richard Parker" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>SHELL CLEANING: Can anyone tell me what sulphate of chloride of magnesia
>is ? I came across it in an ancient shell-collecting book. It is
>supposed to make the animal swell up and go comatose if you put it into
>seawater with the shells.
 
Sounds like magnesium chloride which is used to relax or narcotise marine
molluscs before preservation.  Freezing animals in water, thawing, draining
off the water, refreezing and thawing works well.  I use it for dissection
and it's fine for larger (i.e. thumbnail plus) gastropods, especially robust
species like nerites, but also helicarionid (ariophantid) semi-slugs.
Another technique is to use a microwave oven.  I haven't tried this.  Any
opinions about this on Conch-L?
 
Bronwen