Carole,

I know, in the past, one could buy a brand of ethanol in the Pennsylvania
State Stores by the brand name Pharmco. This was 200 proof or 100%
ethanol. The drawback was the cost. As with Paul, I used it in my work
(when I was a graduate student) and was able to get it without the tax
stamp. I paid $0.99 for 500 cc. If I purchased it in the State Store it
was $6.99. These prices were 35 years ago. There were strict regulations
covering my use of the material. You could only get so much at a time and
had to fill out paperwork. The additional $6 paid at the State Store was
the tax on the product; this was only paid if you were using the ethanol
for consumption as opposed to using it in ones work. I'm not sure if the
State Stores even sell Pharmco anymore.

As Paul mentioned, for regular preservation 80% ethanol is sufficient.
Many people advocate 70% but I feel that this is risky. One needs at least
68% to prevent tissue autolysis. If your measurements are off a bit or if
your draw out some fluids from your specimens, 70% can quickly drop below
68%. Using 80% gives a wider margin for error. If you are preserving for
DNA studies, most folks use 95% or even 100%.

If you only need a small amount ( 100-200 cc) a nearby museum might be
helpful, especially if they will be the recipient of some of the material
you are preserving.


> Dear all knowing Conch-Lers,
>  I needed small jars to preserve specimens and asked my local pancake
> house to save their syrup bottles for recycling. They were very kind but
> when I
> picked up the bottles many still had some syrup inside. Here is my
> question,  does anyone have any idea what to mix this syrup with to make a
> recipe
> for wild  birds. I was thinking of mixing in bird seed but what else would
> bind the bird  seed and syrup? I don't really want it runny.
>  If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.
>  2nd question, I was told Everclear would be good to preserve  specimens,
> in place of ethyl alcohol, but Everclear is apparently illegal in  Florida
> having too great of a proof. (I refuse to use my moonshine for such a
> mundane
> task.) Does 154 proof grain alcohol work as well? No one sells ethyl
> alcohol any longer, apparently some people were drinking it.
>    At any rate, pancake syrup jars will work quite well for small
> specimens. If anyone else had this storage problem. Also, one of the
> Broward  Shell
> Club members discovered Wal-Mart carries small screw top plastic beading
> containers. 24 for about $7.00.Very nice and sturdy about 1 inch in
> diameter
> and  about 1 inch high. In the ribbon section. Very good for storing small
> shells.
>   Thanks for your help,
>           Carole  Marshall
>
>


Regards,
Charlie
.................................................
Charlie Sturm
Research Associate - Section of Mollusks
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Assistant Professor - Family Medicine
Fellow-American Academy of Family Practice
Fellow-Academy of Wilderness Medicine

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