Siliceous and Delicious

It’s been quite a while, but now that the insanity of EPS 8 has subsided, and I’m no longer sick as a dog, it’s time to return to the CLSM project. It’s been well over a month since I last worked on this project, so just to review briefly where I have arrived: I have had the most success (see images posted on Jan. 27th) working with the supernatant of a saturated fluorescein solution with the suspended excess fluorescein particles settled out at the bottom of the vial. The sample suspended in this solution was filtered through an 0.6 µm, 24 mm wide polycarbonate filter disc that actually fits the filtering equipment I bought with Nick Tosca’s help last year. I rinse the sample briefly with DI water and then remove the filter disc into a glass vial; I use a methanol rinse only for cleaning the fritted disc after the filter has been removed.

Unfortunately, I realized too late that I was actually expected to be present at this afternoon’s midterm exam review for EPS 8, so rather than actually translating my desire to continue work on the CLSM project, I instead sat and prepared for the midterm review.

After the midterm review, had just under an hour to get cracking. But the lab was out of purple nitrile gloves, so I had to abort mission and vow to continue tomorrow morning.