Biomaterial Database

Color quenching in "environmentally friendly" cocktails. 1997

P J Meechan, and V A Bhatt

Department of Health Physics, Biosafety and Environmental Affairs, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, NJ 07065, USA.

Fluorescent and colored compounds used in molecular biology labs may generate color quench in wipe test samples taken from such labs. The ability of conventional chemical quench curves to correct for color quench caused by fluorescent and colored compounds in "environmentally friendly" cocktails has not been reported. Series of colored samples spiked with 3H or 14C were generated for three fluorescent compounds: ethidium bromide; Hoechst 33342; and fluorescein, and three colored compounds: thiazol yellow G; tartrazine; and a mixture of bromphenol blue and xylene cyanol. Three different "environmentally friendly" cocktails were used: one with a linear alkylbenzene solvent; one with a diisopropylnapthalene solvent; and a third with a phenylxylylethane solvent. The data, generated from two different liquid scintillation spectrometers that use different quench indicating parameters, suggest that the quench from the fluorochromes and colored dyes with moderate amounts of quench can be corrected by chemical quench curves. The data also suggest that the quench curve of diisopropylnapthalene-based cocktails is significantly different from the other "environmentally friendly" cocktails, when examined using tSIE as the quench indicating parameter.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008967	Molecular Biology	A discipline concerned with studying biological phenomena in terms of the chemical and physical interactions of molecules.	Biochemical Genetics,Biology, Molecular,Genetics, Biochemical,Genetics, Molecular,Molecular Genetics,Biochemical Genetic,Genetic, Biochemical,Genetic, Molecular,Molecular Genetic
D001978	Bromphenol Blue	A dye that has been used as an industrial dye, a laboratory indicator, and a biological stain.	Bromophenol Blue,Tetrabromophenol Blue,Blue, Bromophenol,Blue, Bromphenol,Blue, Tetrabromophenol
D002250	Carbon Radioisotopes	Unstable isotopes of carbon that decay or disintegrate emitting radiation. C atoms with atomic weights 10, 11, and 14-16 are radioactive carbon isotopes.	Radioisotopes, Carbon
D004396	Coloring Agents	Chemicals and substances that impart color including soluble dyes and insoluble pigments. They are used in INKS; PAINTS; and as INDICATORS AND REAGENTS.	Coloring Agent,Dye,Dyes,Organic Pigment,Stain,Stains,Tissue Stain,Tissue Stains,Organic Pigments,Pigments, Inorganic,Agent, Coloring,Inorganic Pigments,Pigment, Organic,Pigments, Organic,Stain, Tissue,Stains, Tissue
D004996	Ethidium	A trypanocidal agent and possible antiviral agent that is widely used in experimental cell biology and biochemistry. Ethidium has several experimentally useful properties including binding to nucleic acids, noncompetitive inhibition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and fluorescence among others. It is most commonly used as the bromide.	Ethidium Bromide,Homidium Bromide,Novidium,Bromide, Ethidium,Bromide, Homidium
D005456	Fluorescent Dyes	Chemicals that emit light after excitation by light. The wave length of the emitted light is usually longer than that of the incident light. Fluorochromes are substances that cause fluorescence in other substances, i.e., dyes used to mark or label other compounds with fluorescent tags.	Flourescent Agent,Fluorescent Dye,Fluorescent Probe,Fluorescent Probes,Fluorochrome,Fluorochromes,Fluorogenic Substrates,Fluorescence Agents,Fluorescent Agents,Fluorogenic Substrate,Agents, Fluorescence,Agents, Fluorescent,Dyes, Fluorescent,Probes, Fluorescent,Substrates, Fluorogenic
D001557	Benzenesulfonates	Organic salts and esters of benzenesulfonic acid.
D001562	Benzimidazoles	Compounds with a BENZENE fused to IMIDAZOLES.
D012588	Scintillation Counting	Detection and counting of scintillations produced in a fluorescent material by ionizing radiation.	Scintillation Counters,Counter, Scintillation,Counters, Scintillation,Counting, Scintillation,Scintillation Counter
D012997	Solvents	Liquids that dissolve other substances (solutes), generally solids, without any change in chemical composition, as, water containing sugar. (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed)	Solvent