ABC of Safety in the Biological Sciences

 

 

REAGENT and DYE SOLUBILITY CHART (this is to be used as a guide only as solubility data varies between manufacturers for the same product especially for dyes)1-3

COMPOUND
SOLUBILITY in 100 ml WATER (g)
SOLUBILITY in 100 ml ALCOHOL (g)
1,4-naphthoqinone
slight
1-naphthol
very slightly
very
2-butoxyethanol
soluble
soluble
2-ethoxyethanol
miscible
2-mercaptoethanol
miscible
miscible
2-nitropropane
1.7 ml
very
4-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde
slight
5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl phosphate
insoluble
soluble
Absolute ethanol
miscible
Acacia
insoluble
Acetic acid
miscible
Acetone
miscible
Acid fuchsin
20
0.25
Acridine orange
very
soluble
Acriflavine
very
Adenosine 5-triphosphate
soluble
Agar
insoluble (cold)
slowly soluble (hot)
Agarose
soluble
Alcian blue
5
1.6
Alizarin red S
7.7
0.15
Aluminium ammonium sulphate
5
insoluble
Aluminium chloride
70
100
Aluminium oxide
insoluble
insoluble
Aluminium potassium sulphate
5 (cold)
140 (hot)
insoluble
Aluminium sulphate
28
insoluble
Ammonium carbonate
Ammonium chloride
37.4
soluble
Ammonium ferrous sulphate
soluble
insoluble
Ammonium hydroxide
Ammonium nitrate
soluble
Ammonium oxalate
soluble
Ammonium sulphate
slight
Ammonium sulphide
miscible
Aniline blue
50
insoluble
Arsenic trioxide
2.1
soluble
Auramine O
0.7
4.5
Azophloxine
3
slight
Azur A
soluble
soluble
Azur B
soluble
soluble
Basic fuchsin
0.4
8
Benzoyl peroxide
less than 1%
slightly
Biebrich scarlet
soluble
0.05
Bismark brown
1.36
1.1
Bromine
slight
Calcium chloride
soluble
soluble
Calcium hypochlorite
soluble
Carbazole
insoluble
Carbon tetrachloride
0.05 ml
miscible
Carmine
soluble
slight
Carminic acid
8.3
Celestin blue
2
1.5
Cellosolve
miscible
miscible
Cetyl alcohol
insoluble
Chloral hydrate
387.1
Chloroform
0.8
miscible
Chromic potassium sulphate
soluble
Chromium oxide
Chromium trioxide
very
Chromotrop 2R
19.3
0.17
Citric acid
207.5
Clearene
insoluble
Cobalt chloride
Congo red
soluble
0.05
Copper acetate
7.2
Copper sulphate
very
slightly
Cresyl fast violet
0.38
0.75
Crystal ponceau 6R
0.8
0.05
Crystal violet
1.08
13.87
Cupronilic blue
Cyanuric chloride
D-glucose
very
Dextran sulphate
very
Dextrin
very
Di-N-butyl phthalate
0.04
miscible
Di-potassium orthophosphate
very
slight
Di-sodium hydrogen orthophosphate
soluble
insoluble
Diaminobenzidine
Dichloroethane
1.132
Diethyl ether
8.4%
miscible
Dimethyl formamide
Dimethyl sulphoxide
very
Diphenylamine
0.03
very
Dithiol
insoluble
Eosin B
39.11
0.75
Eosin Y
44.2
2.2
Epoxypropane
very
Erythrosin
11.1
1.87
Ethyl maleamide
Ethylene Diaminetetraaceticacid
slight
Ethylene glycol
soluble
miscible
Fast blue b salt
very
Fast garnet GBC
5
Fast green FCF
16
0.35
Fast ponceau
soluble
1.5
Fast red B
20
Fast red TR
20
Ferric chloride
very
Ferric sulphate
slight
Fluorescein
0.08
2.21
Formaldehyde
very
Formamide
soluble
soluble
Formic acid
miscible
miscible
Gallocyanin
insoluble
slight
Giemsa
very
Glutaraldehyde
very
very
Glycerol
soluble
Glycerol monostearate
insoluble
Glycine
soluble
insoluble
Glycol methacrylate
very
Gold chloride
very
Haematin
slight
Haematoxylin
1.5
very
Hydrochloric acid
very
miscible
Hydrogen peroxide
very
Hydroquinone
7.2
Imidazole
very
Indigo carmine
1.1
Iodine
0.03
Iron alum
soluble
insoluble
Iron oxide
Iso-amyl alcohol
2.4%
miscible
Isopentane
insoluble
Isopropanol
Janus green B
5.2
1.1
l-lysine monohydrochloride
very
L-lysine monohydrochloride
soluble
Lead acetate
soluble
Lead nitrate
58.9
Levamisole
Light green SF
20.35
0.82
Lithium carbonate
slight
Luxol fast blue
slight
soluble
Magnesium chloride
166.3
Magnesium oxide
Magnesium sulphate
123.1
Malachite green
7.6
7.52
Manganese chloride
72.3
Martius yellow
0.5
1.9
Mercaptoethanol
Mercuric chloride
Mercuric oxide
Metanil yellow
5.36
1.45
Methanol
miscible
miscible
Methenamine
Methyl acetate
2.45
soluble
Methyl blue
soluble
insoluble
Methyl green
1.5
0.1
Methyl methacrylate
slight
Methyl violet
3
13.2
Methylamine
very
soluble
Methylene blue
3.55
1.5
Mollifex
soluble
N,N-D-methyl-p-phenylenediamine
soluble
N-methylaniline
slight
soluble
Naphthol
slight
very
Naphthol AS-D chloroacetate
soluble
Naphthylamine
slight
Neutral red
5.64
2.45
New fuchsin
1.13
3.26
Nickel sulphate
Nile blue sulphate
0.16
0.62
Nitric acid
soluble
Nitro blue tetrazolium
slightly
Nuclear fast red
0.25
Oil red O
slight
0.5
Orange G
10.36
0.22
Orcein
insoluble
Osmium tetroxide
Oxalic acid
100
40
Paraformaldehyde
slight
insoluble
Pararosaniline chloride
0.26
5.93
Patent blue
8.4
5.23
Perchloric acid
very
Periodic acid
very
Phenazine methosulphate
Phenol
7
very
Phenylenediamine
moderate
Phenylhydrazine
slight
very
Phenylhydrazinium chloride
very
soluble
Phloxine
51
9
Phosphine 3R
soluble
soluble
Phosphomolybdic acid
293.5
Phosphotungstic acid
250
Picric acid
1.2
9
Poly-l-lysine
Polyethylene glycol
soluble
soluble
Polyvinyl alcohol
Polyvinylpyrrolidone
very
Ponceau 6R
13
0.01
Potassium acetate
219.2
Potassium cacodylate
soluble
insoluble
Potassium carbonate
soluble
insoluble
Potassium chlorate
soluble
soluble
Potassium chloride
35.95
Potassium citrate
Potassium dichromate
15
Potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate
33 at 0°C
83.5 at 20°C
insoluble
Potassium ferricyanide
47.15
Potassium ferrocyanide
31.6
Potassium hydroxide
10
soluble
Potassium iodate
Potassium iodide
149.34
Potassium metabisulphite
moderate
Potassium nitrate
38.8
Potassium permanganate
6.4
very
Pyridine
Pyrocatechol
Pyronin Y
9
0.6
Quinacrine
3 (cold)
slight
Resorcin
soluble
soluble
Rhodamine B
0.8
1.5
Rosanilin
0.4
8.16
Rubeanic acid
slight
soluble
Safanin O
5.5
3.5
Safsolv
insoluble
very
Salicylic acid
slight
soluble
Silicon carbide
Silver nitrate
250.4
Sirius red
5
2.35
Sodium acetate
50.6
Sodium arsenate
very
Sodium azide
decomposes
slight
Sodium bicarbonate
9
Sodium borate
5.5
Sodium borohydride
liberates hydrogen
Sodium cacodylate
Sodium carbonate
7.1 at 0°C
22 at 22°C
insoluble
Sodium chloride
soluble
slight
Sodium chromate
87.3
0.34
Sodium citrate
Sodium dihydrogen

orthophosphate

60 at 0°C
427 at 100°C
insoluble
Sodium dithionite
very
Sodium hydrosulphite
very
soluble
Sodium hydroxide
42 at 0°C
347 at 100°C
soluble
Sodium hypochlorite
soluble
Sodium iodate
9.35
Sodium lactate
very
Sodium metabisulphite
Sodium nitrate
very
Sodium nitrite
67
Sodium periodate
14.4
Sodium phosphate
soluble
Sodium pyrophosphate
6.7
insoluble
Sodium salicylate
Sodium sulphate
29.8
Sodium sulphite
31.3
Sodium thiocyanate
very
Sodium thiosulphate
202.1
Sodium tungstate
soluble
Solochrome cyanin
soluble soluble
Stannous chloride
Sucrose
211.4
slight
Sudab black B
insoluble
1.13
Sudan III
insoluble
0.19
Sudan IV
insoluble
0.1
Sulphosalicylic acid
Sulphuric acid
very
soluble
Tannic acid
very
Tartrazine
11
0.1
Thioflavine T
2.1
3.1
Thionin
0.25
0.25
Thionyl chloride
Thymol
0.08
100
Toluene
0.05
soluble
Toluidine blue
3.8
0.6
Tri-sodium citrate
72
Tri-sodium orthophosphate
28
insoluble
Tri-sodium phosphate
2.8
insoluble
Trichloracetic acid
1205.5
Trichloroethane
slight
soluble
Trimethylamineformic acid
Tris
soluble
Uranyl nitrate
soluble
soluble
Urea
1000
very
Victoria blue R
0.5
4
Zinc chloride
soluble
Zinc sulphate

REFERENCE
1 Ajax Chemicals. Material Safety Data Sheets. Ajax Chemicals Pty Ltd, Auburn, New South Wales, Australia. 1994
2 Bancroft JD and Stevens A. Theory and Practice of Histological Techniques, 3rd edition. London. Churchill Livingstone 1990
3 Lillie RD. H.J. Conn's Biological Stains, 9th edition. Baltimore. The Williams and Wilkins Co. 1977.

 

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