I am trying to test Anthracene (An) on the cells and I could not dissolve An in buffer solution and even in ethanol the solubility is very poor. DMSO is not working as well! for my experiment I prefer using buffer solution HBSS , ehanol or DMSO (generally not more 1% from ethanol or DMSO). How can I dissolve anthracene and prepare the dilutions without using Ethanol or any type pf alcohols or with a tiny amount of ethanol not exceed 1%?
Dear Aseel Alsarahni thank you for asking this interesting technical question. It is well known that the solubility of anthracene in organic solvents in generally fairly low. There are, however, sgnificant differences. There is the old rule ""similia similibus solvuntur" which means that the best solvents are similar in chemical character. Since anthracene is an aromatic hydrocarbon, I would suggest to try toluene as solvent, which is also an aromatic hydrocarbon solvent. According to the Wikipedia entry cited below, the solubility of anthracene in toluene is about 10 times higher than that in ethanol. It should also be possible to add a very small amount of ethanol to the solution in toluene if necessary.
Good luck with your work! 👍
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthracene
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