[Taxacom] Palcohol?

[Daniel Janzen]

It is my understanding that isopropyl alcohol trashes DNA or otherwise makes it very difficult to extract.  Think on that for pickling museum specimens.  I know of no circumstance where you can get (or ship) isopropyl but not get (or ship) 80-95% ethanol.

Just a thought.   Dan Janzen 


On Apr 21, 2014, at 11:56 PM, Neal Evenhuis <neale at bishopmuseum.org> wrote:

> FDA did not approve to begin with. Read the article I posted.
> 
> On Stardate 4/21/14 5:34 PM, "Ken Kinman" <kinman at hotmail.com<mailto:kinman at hotmail.com>> scribbled the following tidbit:
> 
> Hi All,
> 
>       Not much chance that it could be used for storing scientific specimens, as it only yields a solution that is about 12% ethanol by volume (plus water and carbohydrates), which is about the strength of wine.  And it would no doubt be a more costly alternative.  I think I'll stick with isopropyl alcohol (and a bit of glycerol) for my spider specimens.   In any case, the FDA has apparently already reversed itself and said that its approval of palcohol was an error.
>                             ------------------Ken
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> From: neale at bishopmuseum.org<mailto:neale at bishopmuseum.org>
>> To: mivie at montana.edu<mailto:mivie at montana.edu>; TAXACOM at mailman.nhm.ku.edu<mailto:TAXACOM at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
>> Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2014 10:15:01 -1000
>> Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Palcohol?
>> 
>> Seem legit. But there might problems getting it on shelves for sale
>> (liability insurance $$ being just one). See here:
>> 
>> http://www.bevlaw.com/bevlog/alcohol-beverages-generally/powdered-alcohol
>> 
>> California already has regulations in place for powdered distilled
>> beverages.
>> 
>> -Neal
>> 
>> On Stardate 4/21/14 9:56 AM, "Michael A. Ivie" <mivie at montana.edu<mailto:mivie at montana.edu>> wrote:
>> 
>>> OK, something that might not be as interesting as debates about lizard
>>> descriptions, broken legs on misidentified specimens or
>>> painbiogeography, but could be important to those flying to collecting
>>> sites. Does anyone know anything about the newly FDA approved power
>>> "Palcohol?" It can be mixed with water to obtain ethanol. I strongly
>>> suspect this was an April Fool's joke, but cannot debunk it. The
>>> Guardian ran a story, so I am tending to believe it may be true?
>>> 
>>> This could be a great thing is formulated specifically for scientific
>>> collecting? Someone out there must be out front on this?
>>> 
>>> http://www.palcohol.com/home.html
>>> 
>>> Mike
>>> 
>>> --
>>> __________________________________________________
>>> 
>>> Michael A. Ivie, Ph.D., F.R.E.S.
>>> 
>>> Montana Entomology Collection
>>> Marsh Labs, Room 50
>>> 1911 West Lincoln Street
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>>> USA
>>> 
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>>> 
>>> 
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