EMS Technical Tips

An Air-Tight Container for Small Amounts of Osmium Tetroxide

Osmium vapors readily leak out of many containers as is evidenced by the black precipitates on inside refrigerator walls in many E.M. laboratories. A convenient way to prevent such leakage is to store the osmium solutions in glass vacuum-type blood collection tubes. The osmium vapors will not penetrate past the rubber stopper and contaminate the surrounding area.

Reference:

Lynn D. Gray, Ph. D., The University of Texas Health Center at Tyler, Dept. of Cell Biology and Env. Sci., P.O. Box 2003, Tyler, TX. 75710