156 



ISOLATION OF ELEMENTS. 



[CH. VII. 



eessful (§ 3121. The fresh muscle is placed in this in a glass vessel. 

 At the ordinary temperature of a sitting room ('20 degrees centigrade) 

 the connective tissue will be so far gelatinized in from one to three days 

 that it is very easy to separate the fascicles and fibers either with nee- 

 dles or by shaking in a test tube or reagent vial ( Fig. 132 ) with water. 

 It takes longer for some muscles to dissociate than others, even in the 

 same temperature, so one must try occasionally to see if the action is 

 sufficient. When it is, the acid is poured off and the muscle washed 



Fig. 131. Adjustable lens holder for the same purposes as Fig. 130. {The Bausch 

 & Lomb Optical Company). 



gently with water to remove the acid. If one is ready to make the prep- 

 arations at once they may be isolated and mounted in water. If it is de- 

 sired to keep the specimen indefinitely, or several days, the water should 

 be poured off and a half saturated solution of alum added ( § 299). The 

 alum solution is also very advantageous if the specimens are to be 

 stained. The specimens may be mounted in glycerin, glycerin jelly or 

 balsam. Glycerin jelly is the most satisfactory, however. 



