Glycerol impregnation of a formaldehyde fixed Bump-head Sunfish Mola alexandrini

Abstract

A Bump-head Sunfish Mola alexandrini washed ashore in southwestern Australia and was provided to the Western Australian Museum for exhibition. However, using traditional museum practices, such a large specimen would require a large volume of ethanol, which provides an unacceptable public risk in an exhibition space. The low risk glycerol was chosen as a storage medium. The specimen was initially fixed in a 10 v/v% formaldehyde solution and soaked in fresh water to remove residual formalin before commencing glycerol impregnation. Over a period of several years, glycerol impregnation was achieved by step-wise increases at 30%, 40%, 49% and 59% glycerol. Biodegradation was inhibited with Kathon CG biocide. The impregnation process was monitored with a digital densitometer, which confirmed the process was controlled by diffusion through the spaces surrounding denticles and the concentration of the impregnating solution and was dependent on the logarithm of time. This method is a viable and safe alternative to the storage of natural history specimens when ethanol is not an option, and delivers measurable improvements to the colour and flexibility of specimens.

Replacing Formalin with Alcohol and its Effect on Preserved Fish Specimens

“…And since glycerin is a fatty solution, it may make its penetration into the preserved bodies and being saturated with it more faster and better when alcohol is present in this composition. And this is what happened with [25,26] when the bodies of the specimens preserved in alcohol and glycerin solutions returned to their real shape, especially when the glycerin concentration in these solutions was less than 60%. The specimens preserved in the two solutions in which glycerin and alcohol were included, namely T3 and T4 that gained a good shape and high flexibility for the fins and the general joints of the body , as compared to the solutions in which formalin was included in the composition, namely T1 and T2.…”

Interactive Design of Museum Display Space Based on Virtual and Reality Technology

“…This is not possible with entity props. This is a large-scale stage-enhanced virtual system developed and designed by NetDragon Network Company in Fujian [17,18].…”

“…Longitude uses a simple equiangular uniform mapping. That is, the longitude value θ of any point P on the spherical surface is equal to the angle between OP ′ ; then formula (17) is obtained:…”