Charlie Murphy
cmurphy@GGPL.ARSUSDA.GOV

Yes - I usually keep my osmium solutions frozen. They appear to work just fine -

Mike Folsom
mwfolsom@unm.edu

Hello Charlie,
I store my aqueous osmium solutions (usually 4%) in a frozen state and have had no problems to date. It is a convenient way to keep the osmium over a longer period as I only need to use it occasionally and saves the fridge interior from being inadvertently redecorated with the 'black' precipitate. Regards,

Brett W. Cockman
e-mail; bcockman@uniwa.uwa.edu.au

Charlie was worrying whether frozen osmium tetraoxide was still good for fixation. Michael and Brett have their osmium stored frozen.

A colleaque in another lab. liked to store 4% aqueous oxmium in the freezing compartment. She had had broken ampules on several occasions. This came to light only after her retirement when her successor asked me how I stored mine. I make aqueous solution, seal 0.5ml in each ampule and leave them in the fume hood; no more osmium fume in the fridge and no black cooling compartment to worry about.

Ann Fook Yang
Yanga@em.agr.ca