On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 4:50 AM, David Campbell <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Alcohol is also good for dissolving ink labels.  Cheap zip-close bags
> often leak when holding alcohol, presumably from the alcohol
> dissolving things, but sturdier ones seem OK.


I use laserprinted labels (2-point font) on copy-paper. These are
unaffected by ethanol or formadehyde.

I would expect that all ziploc-type bags will eventually allow the
preservative to evaporate, even if extremely slowly. This probably
occurs more at the ends of the zip than through the zip itself, though
inevitably there will be SOME gas transfer all along the zip. Ziplocs
are polypropylene or polyethyylene, and should not be affected by
preservatives.

I have found this to be the case also with Samco plugtop glass vials
and plastic-or-steel-capped glass bottles, the latter even when sealed
with grease. The Samco vials have multisealed polypropylene caps, but
the 5 or so lips don't do the job for long-term; the contents must be
checked periodically and topped-up as necessary.

I have found that plastic urine-sample vials seem to seal well enough,
but the clear vial itself of the hard type (styrene?) can craze and
split after a while; the softer type (polypropylene or polyethylene),
though slightly milky, seem to be unaffected.
These vials come from numerous different manufacturers, with a variety
of cap colors. They are generally about 3-4cm in diameter and 6cm
tall. The hard vials are acetone-soluble; the softer (slightly
squezzable) ones are not. The softer ones are easier on thin fragile
lips of shells stored within; despite the slightly lower transparency,
I think that they are far superior as long-term wet (or dry) specimen
storage.

--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin, New Zealand
Fossil preparator
Mollusc, Toyota & VW van nut

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