All of the Western Blot protocols I've used calls for equipment (glass gel racks, scraper, etc.) to be cleaned with methanol. Is there a particular reason it is cleaned with methanol and not ethanol?
I guess it is because of their evaporation rate. Methanol evaporates faster than ethanol and of course water.
Both are OK. I even used ethanol instead of methanol in the transfer buffer, got the same result. Avoiding potential harmfulness of methanol to health.
Both works. Use mask when you are working with methanol. I preferred methanol why I dont know. İt was long time ago.
Methanol is known to be a powerful solvent. It can dissolve most of the organic sediments. Alcohol, even though a good solvent, usually is not available in its purest form and may be denatured type in many cases. Moreover, methanol is very cheap compared to ethanol. People also tend to use acetone instead of methanol which is a good cleaning agent too.
Apart from usage, all these are hazardous chemicals. Use mask / fume hood & gloves.
I even clean them by distilled water and dry by tissue or air-dry. There is no special reason to use Methanol or Ethanol to clean those stuffs. Methanol is highly toxic and one should avoid contacting it so frequently.
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