I can't personally vouch for the efficacy, mess, or smell of Paul's suggested technique, but it's important to remember that tunicate tests are mainly cellulose, and dissolving cellulose usually requires a high concentration of alkali plus other rather noxious chemicals, so I would try Paul's method. To my knowledge, the phylum Chordata, to which we and tunicates belong, is the only animal phylum whose members have the ability to synthesize cellulose. (We have some in our skin too.)

Alan

On Tue, 9 Dec 2014, Callomon,Paul wrote:

> Hi Ken,
> 
> Messy and smelly though it might be, you might get best results by rehydrating them. Leave them in a jar of water (with some
> alcohol - 20 or 30% - if you want to keep the stink down) overnight, then pick them apart on the porch. Alternatively, just stand
> them outside in water for a week until all you have is a soup with all the bivalves on the bottom.
> 
> 
> Paul Callomon
> Collection Manager, Malacology, Invertebrate Paleontology and General Invertebrates
> 
> ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
> Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia
> [log in to unmask] Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170
> 
> ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
> From: Conchologists List [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Ken Piech [[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Monday, December 08, 2014 10:53 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [CONCH-L] Dissolving Sea Squirts
> 
> Is there a simple and effective means to dissolve sea squirts without adversely affecting the calcareous mollusks that may be with
> them?  Some background information may be helpful.  A month ago I spent some time on Sanibel Island and became interested in the
> mollusks associated with the millions of sandy skinned sea squirts, Molgula occidentalis Traustedt 1883, which were washing up on
> the beaches.  I made an informal list of all the mollusks that I found in/on them.  My list included about twelve different
> mollusks, mostly bivalves.  The most common mollusk is the lateral mussel, Musculus lateralis (Say, 1822).  These small bivalves
> are actually in the firm, leathery wall of the sea squirt.  Adherent to the external surface of the sea squirts, I also found a
> number of scorched mussels, Brachiodontes cf. exustus (Linné, 1758), Florida spiny jewel boxes, Arcinella cornuta Conrad, 1866 and
> common jingles, Anomia simplex d’Orbigny, 1853.  I even found both valves of a Sphenia fragilis (H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854), which
> I had not previously found around Sanibel Island.  At the end of our time on Sanibel, I decided to bring home a bucket of the dried
> sea squirts and spend some time dissecting them and determining the number and the variety of mollusks that are in/on them.  After
> dissecting some of these sea squirts, I have concluded that it would be best to use some solvent to aid in this process.  I want to
> dissolve the proteinaceous wall of the sea squirt, but not the calcareous mollusks.  Do any of you have any suggestions on what
> solvent I can use?  I have already used sodium hypochlorite (bleach) and hydrogen peroxide, but these have not dissolved the wall
> of the sea squirt.  I have searched on-line, but have not gotten what I want.  Has anyone had any experience with doing this?  If
> so, what has worked for you?  Thanks for any help.
> 
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