Spider Pharm has been working with several alternative preservatives for specimens, which are non-hazardous, non-flammable and offer some other advantages.
Aqueous
Aqueous specimens are good for general collections and lab work, though the preservative is volatile. They should be kept in sealed containers when not in use and the solution will evaporate under hot microscope lamps.
These are fixed, then transferred to an water-based preservative containing potassium sorbate and citric acid.
Gelatin may be added to hold the specimen in place, to prevent damage during shipping and handling.
Glycerin
These specimens are dehydrated in glycerin, which is not volatile. Thus these can be kept in open containers and the solution will not evaporate under hot lamps.
Fixed specimens are put through a very slow dehydration process in glycerin, which produces a very stable specimen that can be removed without fear of dehydration. The solution is very viscous, so delicate specimens need to be handled carefully to avoid breakage.
These are usually packaged in
Glycerin Gel
These look something like specimens mounted in plastic resins, except the gels have a yellow ting and are flexible. They are good for displays and excellent for lab work, since the specimens may be dissected in place or sliced or sectioned to see internal anatomy.
We add a fairly large amount of gelatin to the glycerin preservative, which makes these gels stable at room temperature. However, they should will melt at higher tempertures.