Rewoquat has been used by numerous authors to free microfossils from tightly-bound shales. I first became aware of the material when reading Jarochowska et al 2013. A virtue of the material is that delicate fossils may be freed without exposure to strong acids or bases. Unfortunately, the material can be difficult to source.
I obtained a sample of the material recently. During a test, I found that Paleozoic shale flakes resistant to disaggregation readily dissolved into a clay slurry when placed in the Rewoquat (see images).
I have found that disorganized demand for the material currently exists, but the up front cost of the material is prohibitive. I was quoted a price of approximately $10.64 per liter (before shipping), but the minimum order size is a 208.2 liter drum. If demand can be organized via a distributor or through geological institutions or museums, the price of the material could be shared amongst prospective buyers. A distributor may also be required for international shipping in order to make export from the United States possible.
I was curious how much interest there is in this particular chemical, and what strategies might be employed to increase it's availability to interested researchers.
Dear Christopher,
in EU Rewoquat is well known and commonly used to free delicate fossils from mudstones and siltstones. It works very well on some material, less on others, but when it does it is a great tool. Several specialized dealers sell it, although it is not cheap. However you can buy also smaller batches, like 1l or 5l, of course it gets more affordable when buying bulk. The website of a reputable DE dealer states that they do ship to US, but I am not sure about the shipping costs and import procedures.
https://www.haufwerk.com/de/rewo/
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