724 1-800-452-1261
Recipes for Biological, Histological and Chemical Solutions, continued
solution for birds and invertebrates, use 0.8% for
frogs and 0.9% for mammals)
Seawater (Hale’s)
Dissolve 23.991 g sodium chloride, 0.742 g potassium
chloride, 2.240 g calcium chloride dihydrate, 10.893
g magnesium chloride hexahydrate, 9.10 g sodium
sulfate decahydrate, 0.197 g sodium bicarbonate,
0.085 g sodium bromide, 0.018 g strontium chloride
hexahydrate and 0.027 g boric acid in 800 mL DI
water. Dilute up to 1 L. Final solution has a salinity of
34.33 0/00 (ppt) and a chlorinity of 19 0/00. (not for
aquaria, only for technical purposes)
Seawater
Dissolve 29.42 g of sodium chloride, 0.5 g of
potassium chloride, 3.22 g magnesium chloride,
0.56 g sodium bromide, 1.36 g calcium sulfate, 2.4
g magnesium sulfate, 0.11 g calcium carbonate and
0.003 g ferric oxide in 1 L DI water. (not for aquaria,
only for technical purposes)
Schiff’s Reagent
Dissolve 0.5 g of fuchsin in 500 mL of DI water.
Decolorize solution by passing sulfur dioxide gas
through the solution or add 9 g of sodium bisulfite
and 20 mL of 2 M hydrochloric acid to the fuchsin
solution. (test for aldehydes)
Schweitzer’s Reagent
Boil a solution of 5 g of copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate
in 100 mL of DI water and slowly add 2 M sodium
hydroxide solution until precipitation is complete.
Filter the copper oxide precipitate, wash with
water then dissolve in the minimum volume of 4
M ammonium hydroxide. Also called ammoniacal
copper oxide solution. (reagent for dissolving
cellulose)
Sebacoyl Chloride/Hexane Solution
Mix 4 mL of sebacoyl chloride with 96 mL of
hexanes. (nylon demonstration)
Starch Solution
1% aqueous: Make a smooth paste with 10 g of
soluble starch and DI water. Pour the starch paste
into 1 L of boiling water while stirring. Cool to room
temperature before use. Poor shelf life, always
prepare fresh solution. An easier way to make a
starch solution is to generously spray ordinary
spray starch (the type used for ironing) into DI
water. Make fresh. (indicator for iodine)
Sudan III
Warm 73.5 mL of 95% ethyl alcohol in a warm
water bath. Add 0.5 g of sudan III and stir. Add 75
°C DI water to just below the 100-mL mark. Stir and
cool to room temperature then dilute to 100 mL
with DI water. Filter if necessary. (biological stain
for fats and lipids)
Sudan IV
Warm 75 mL of 95% ethyl alcohol in a warm water
bath. Add 0.5 g sudan IV and stir. Cool to room
temperature then dilute to 100 mL with DI water.
Filter if necessary. (biological stain for fats and
lipids)
10X TBE Electrophoresis Buffer
Dissolve 108 g of Tris base tris(hydroxymethyl)
aminomethane, 55 g of boric acid and 7.5 g of EDTA,
disodium salt in 800 mL of DI water, then dilute to 1
L. There is no need to sterilize the solution. If white
clumps begin to precipitate in the solution, place
the bottle in hot water until the clumps dissolve.
Stored at room temperature. To use as a buffer, dilute
100‑mL of 10X stock to 1 L with DI water.
10X TAE Electrophoresis Buffer
Dissolve 48.4 g of Tris base tris(hydroxymethyl)
aminomethane, 11.4 mL of glacial acetic acid (17.4
M) and 3.7 g of EDTA, disodium salt in 800 mL of DI
water, then dilute to 1 L. There is no need to sterilize
the solution. Stored at room temperature. To use as a
buffer, dilute 100‑mL of 10X stock to 1 L with DI water.
Thymol Blue
0.04% aqueous: Mix together 0.04 g of thymol
blue and 50 mL of DI water. Add 5 mL of 0.01 M
sodium hydroxide solution; stir until all the solid
has dissolved. Dilute to 100 mL with DI water. (pH
indicator)
Thymol Blue
0.04% aqueous: Dissolve 0.04 g of thymol blue,
sodium salt in 75 mL of DI water, then dilute to 100
mL. (pH indicator)
Thymolphthalein
0.04% alcoholic: Dissolve 0.04 g of thymolphthalein
in 75 mL of anhydrous ethyl alcohol, then dilute to
100 mL with anhydrous ethyl alcohol. (pH indicator)
Tollen’s Reagent
Add 2–3 drops of 2 M sodium hydroxide solution
to 5 mL of 0.2 M silver nitrate solution; add 2 M
ammonium hydroxide solution dropwise until
precipitate dissolves. Prepare and use this solution
immediately; explosive fulminating silver will form
if solution is allowed to stand for any period of
time. (test for aldehydes and reducing sugars)
Toluidine Blue O
Mix 1 g of toluidine blue O and 0.5 mL of concentrated
hydrochloric acid into a homogeneous paste. While
stirring, gradually add the paste to 50 mL of DI water,
then dilute to 100 mL of DI water. (biological stain
for bacteria)
Universal Indicator
Add 0.18 g of methyl red and 0.36 g of
phenolphthalein to 550 mL of 95% ethyl alcohol
(C2H5OH); stir to dissolve. In a separate container,
add 0.43 g of bromthymol blue to 200 mL of
distilled water; stir to dissolve. Mix together the
two solutions; dilute to 1 liter with distilled water.
Add 1 M sodium hydroxide solution dropwise until
the solution’s color is dark green; stir. (Use: pH
indicator, pH 4 = red, pH 5 = orange, pH 6 = yellow,
pH 7 = light green, pH 8 = green-blue, pH 9 = dark
blue-green, pH 10 = purple)
Winkler’s Solution #1
Dissolve 480 g of manganese(II) sulfate
tetrahydrate in 500 mL of DI water, then dilute to
1 L. (determining dissolved oxygen)
Winkler’s Solution #2
Dissolve 500 g of sodium hydroxide and 135 g of
sodium iodide in 700 mL of DI water, then dilute to
1 L. A large amount of heat is generated, place the
mixing container in an ice water bath. Store in a
plastic container. (determining dissolved oxygen)
Wright’s Stain
Dissolve 2.5 g of Wright’s stain in 5 mL of absolute
methyl alcohol, then dilute to 100 mL with absolute
methyl alcohol. Stir and filter if necessary.
(biological stain for blood)
Laboratory Solutions for the Science Classroom
The Teacher’s Handbook to Solution Preparation
Need a more complete guide on solution preparation? Laboratory Solutions for the Science Classroom
has been the science teacher’s No. 1 handbook for years. Includes explanations of basic concepts
and
vocabulary terms, detailed recipes of more than 300 commonly used solutions and practical solutionmaking
techniques. Recipes cover biology (culture media and biological stains), chemistry and physical
science solutions used in high schools. If you happen to come across a solution for which a recipe is not
included, then the explanation section of the book will guide you through the steps of determining the
correct procedure for making the solution. A must for all science teachers! Illustrated, appendices, glossary,
index. 189 pages, 53/4" x 83/4", soft cover.
Catalog No. Description Price/Each
AP8858 Laboratory Solutions for the Science Classroom $53.70
Note: DI water denotes either distilled or deionized water.
/