I have a few packs of reusable dry ice-gel packs.
They are sent along with the chemicals in a box for keeping the chemicals cool.
Is it possible for me to use that "gel" as dry ice to reach the -78oC (dry ice bath) in one of my experimental step?
P/s: Is there any way to determine the -78oC temperature? As I do not have thermometer that can show the temperature this low.
Thanks.
Yes, you can use packs but you need to put these packs for one day to ultrafreezer. If ultrafreezer has -80 degrees your packs will have similar temperature. :)
BTW the good method is to freeze packs in a shape of eppendorf/ falcons or what you will need for proceeding samples. :) Ice-packs are not intended to achieve such low temperatures so you must be careful because they can be damaged quickly.
Dear @Agnieszka,
If not mistaken, in order to get -78oC, we need to add acetone and NaCl into the dry ice.
So, after ultrafreeze the dry ice pack for -80oC, can the "gel" be use directly without adding any acetone and NaCl?
Many thanks.
Yes, if you cooled the commercial gel long enough at -80°C, you can use it directly as ice bath without adding anything.
As Agnieszka already pointed out: make sure you freeze the commercial gel in an appropriate form. The gel is rather hard to form if it is frozen, so the contact with your sample might be too low or it does not fit in the desired container.
@Shu Er Tan the cooling mixture in gel packs is "freezable" to very low temperatures but remember about shaping these packs. I did it many times and it always worked. :)
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