Ethyl acetate -pure vs nail polish?

[mountainpathfinder]

Am I in any way short-changing myself in using non-acetone nail polish remover in lieu of regular ethyl acetate? Does the difference in the strength of the pure ethyl acetate and the lesser volume used compensate for the disadvantages in term of expense and complications in ordering it vs purchasing the nail polish remover over the counter? Thanks!

[Chris Grinter]

Depends - there are two types of nail polish remover, and I'm sure you're choosing the non-acetone style. They tend to be pretty clearly labeled but I've accidentally purchased the acetone one when in a pinch and it's worthless. But the over the counter (otc) variety is watered down to about 70% and is full of other goop so it is not as powerful as the 99% you get at BioQuip. I've never seen the benefits of saving a few bucks to get a less powerful product.

But, does it kill quickly enough? You should purchase the 99% and do a comparison, use whatever works best!

Quart at BioQuip = $11 + shipping.
8 oz remover = $2/ or $8 eq volume

[Deleted]

ebay is very cheap for 99.5% acetone. I purchased 10 ltrs for £29.50 approx $45. They do sell smaller tubs also.
here's the link to the shop

myworld.ebay.co.uk/shinyhardware/?_trksid=p4340.l2559

[saturniidave]

I use these people, they have every chemical you could want including cyanide.
www.atomscientific.com/products.php?category_range=chemicals

[bathcat]

I would just go with the pure stuff from Bioquip or another supply house. It's a pain in the butt to get it shipped to you on the ground, but a quart can of it usually lasts me a year or more. And by that time I need more pins, another net bag, etc.

[mountainpathfinder]

I'm pretty much convinced. I'd was also beginning to think about making a cyanide jar, but Bioquip doesn't appear to carry cyanide. Where do you get that?

[Christof]

Hi,

this seems to be a threat more for the US. In any case in Germany (Berlin) there is a dealer that sells killing jars with cyanide filling. Here is the link: www.fiebig-lehrmittel.de/index.php?showcategoryid=31
Sorry, the page is in German only!

[Deleted]

Find a jar to your liking (size and shape) and put 1 inch of fine sawdust on the bottom. Make up some plaster-of-paris and pour the liquid mixture carefully/gently ontop of the sawdust about half an inch to 3/4 inch or so deep ontop of the sawdust. Then, after it has hardened, take a drill (1/8 to 1/4 diameter) and drill a hole in the middle so that what you later pour onto the completely dried plaster-of-paris seeps into the sawdust chamber through the hole. One can also drill two holes if one likes. As soon as the sawdust gets wet, pour out the extra liquid killing chemical. I do this with Ethyl Acetate.

I would let the p-of-p dry for a few days before adding the chemical. It should work with cyanide as well, but I'm not a cyanide fan.

The sawdust chamber slowly releases fumes into the jar and you'll have it for years just-as-is. Some guys use paper towels for holding liquid, but I like the sawdust better. And, this method keeps the chamber ontop free for just specimens---no paper towels get tangled up in legs etc.

Try it, you'll like it. It is rather cheap, and one doen't have to recharge(pour more Ethyl Acetate in) too often. Naturally, the shorter one has the lid off, less gases escape. What I also prefer about EA is that if it gets broken or leaks, the toxicity level is far less with EA than cyanide.

Just my thoughts......