Dear Conch-L  Members

For those of you who have requested my paper on:  “Fixation and Preservation of
Mollusca”,  thank you for your patience.  However, it is going to be delayed a
while, whereas I do not want to distribute a poorly written paper.  An
explanation is provided below.

Thanks,
Leslie Allen Crnkovic
_______________________________________

EXPLANATION
As we have discussed Fixation and Preservation of Mollusca in recent weeks.  It
seemed fitting to revise a previous paper done for a slightly differnt
subject.  Not being a chemist, this “new” rush written paper needed serious
peer review.  Also being a modification to a overly simplified set of
instructions that was another paper,  this paper lacks the proper form, flow
and structure needed for a quality paper.

Thanks to the gracious help of colleagues at the Carnegie Museum of Natural
History and the Delaware Museum of Natural History, the entire structure of the
paper is being re-written from a fresh perspective.  Also there are a number of
technical errors (poor or incorrect verbiage) that could lead to false
conclusions and premises.

The main chemicals listed in the paper are:
Ethanol,  Ethylene Glycol,  Glycerol,  Dow Corning 200 Silicone Fluid

As a turn of fate over the weekend at our local Shell Show, I ran into an old
friend who is now a Sr. Chemist at Dow Chemical in Lake Jackson Texas where 3
of these  chemicals are made (I do not believe they make Ethanol).  He will be
able keep me straight on any detail concerning the use of each of these in the
processes, while the CMNH, DMNH staff provide insights and clarifications as to
there Molluscan specific usages.

Since I will be off for medical leave over the next week I plan to work on the
structural aspects of the paper during this time.  Additionally, the processes
and premises will be re-tested over the winder for verification under
controlled experiments.