Ideal pH level for BAC water

[Sethe]

Since Hospira is hard to get where I am, I'll be getting some other bac water instead. My plan is to check it using a pH strip, so I'd like to know: what pH range works best when mixing reta?

Also, is the right method to draw a bit of bac from the vial with a syringe and then drip it onto the paper? What's the smallest amount I can put on the strip and still get a reading, so I don't use up more than I need?

 

[DrPEPr]

Just make your own bac.

The issue with non-Hospira or other non-legit brands of bac is that sterility, ph, and other factors may differ from vial to vial.

Your money would go to waste.

Sterile water for injections (Braun) costs just €2.36/$2.76 per 100ml. Benzyl Alcohol runs about €15/$17 per liter.

Put 1ml of BA into your sterile water, and that's it.

(yes, this results in a 1% solution rather than 0.9%, but it falls within spec. and is simple to measure.)

 

[BNLFL]

Hospira's is 5.7, which is the target. I've seen the accepted band quoted as 4.5-7.

 

[Sethe]

DrPEPr said:

Just make your own bac.

The issue with non-Hospira or other non-legit brands of bac is that sterility, ph, and other factors may differ from vial to vial.

Your money would go to waste.

Sterile water for injections (Braun) costs just €2.36/$2.76 per 100ml. Benzyl Alcohol runs about €15/$17 per liter.

Put 1ml of BA into your sterile water, and that's it.

(yes, this results in a 1% solution rather than 0.9%, but it falls within spec. and is simple to measure.)

Is it necessary for the water to be Braun brand? From what I can tell, it's also not very easy to get in central Europe.

 

[skaylife]

DrPEPr said:

Just make your own bac.

The issue with non-Hospira or other non-legit brands of bac is that sterility, ph, and other factors may differ from vial to vial.

Your money would go to waste.

Sterile water for injections (Braun) costs just €2.36/$2.76 per 100ml. Benzyl Alcohol runs about €15/$17 per liter.

Put 1ml of BA into your sterile water, and that's it.

(yes, this results in a 1% solution rather than 0.9%, but it falls within spec. and is simple to measure.)

I followed the same route. From an internet pharmacy I picked up 1 liter of sterile injection water for € 3.5, and from an online lab supplier I got 1/2 liter of benzyl alcohol for € 13. To 1 liter of the sterile water I mixed in 9 ml of BA. The resulting pH came out at 6.3 when read on a refractometer. Throughout the work I used a laminar flow hood and wiped down the workspace with 70% isopropyl alcohol. I have prior experience cultivating mushrooms. All the needed gear is already at my place.

 

[DrPEPr]

skaylife said:

DrPEPr said:

Just make your own bac.

The issue with non-Hospira or other non-legit brands of bac is that sterility, ph, and other factors may differ from vial to vial.

Your money would go to waste.

Sterile water for injections (Braun) costs just €2.36/$2.76 per 100ml. Benzyl Alcohol runs about €15/$17 per liter.

Put 1ml of BA into your sterile water, and that's it.

(yes, this results in a 1% solution rather than 0.9%, but it falls within spec. and is simple to measure.)

I followed the same route. From an internet pharmacy I picked up 1 liter of sterile injection water for € 3.5, and from an online lab supplier I got 1/2 liter of benzyl alcohol for € 13. To 1 liter of the sterile water I mixed in 9 ml of BA. The resulting pH came out at 6.3 when read on a refractometer. Throughout the work I used a laminar flow hood and wiped down the workspace with 70% isopropyl alcohol. I have prior experience cultivating mushrooms. All the needed gear is already at my place.

Appreciate you laying that out. My own mix was 1ml of benzyl alcohol added to 1L of sterile water, and the reading came out at pH 6.2 — so that lines up nicely.

Right now I’m (mis)using a lab where I work, though I’ve been thinking about getting a desktop laminar flow hood for the house.

Which laminar flow hood are you running?

I’ve had my eye on the AliExpress ones priced between €450 and €800? Wondering whether they can be trusted.

 

[Fostradamus]

Sethe said:

DrPEPr said:

Just make your own bac.

The issue with non-Hospira or other non-legit brands of bac is that sterility, ph, and other factors may differ from vial to vial.

Your money would go to waste.

Sterile water for injections (Braun) costs just €2.36/$2.76 per 100ml. Benzyl Alcohol runs about €15/$17 per liter.

Put 1ml of BA into your sterile water, and that's it.

(yes, this results in a 1% solution rather than 0.9%, but it falls within spec. and is simple to measure.)

Is it necessary for the water to be Braun brand? From what I can tell, it's also not very easy to get in central Europe.

Ampuwa WFI has been suggested by other members here. I'm on the move across mainland Europe right now, and once I get to Germany I plan to buy some.

 

[DrPEPr]

Fostradamus said:

Sethe said:

DrPEPr said:

Just make your own bac.

The issue with non-Hospira or other non-legit brands of bac is that sterility, ph, and other factors may differ from vial to vial.

Your money would go to waste.

Sterile water for injections (Braun) costs just €2.36/$2.76 per 100ml. Benzyl Alcohol runs about €15/$17 per liter.

Put 1ml of BA into your sterile water, and that's it.

(yes, this results in a 1% solution rather than 0.9%, but it falls within spec. and is simple to measure.)

Is it necessary for the water to be Braun brand? From what I can tell, it's also not very easy to get in central Europe.

Ampuwa WFI has been suggested by other members here. I'm on the move across mainland Europe right now, and once I get to Germany I plan to buy some.

That looks fine to me.

When you buy the glass-bottled Ampuwa that comes with butyl stoppers, it's essentially equivalent to the Braun or AquaSterop products.

 

[Fostradamus]

DrPEPr said:

Fostradamus said:

Sethe said:

DrPEPr said:

Just make your own bac.

The issue with non-Hospira or other non-legit brands of bac is that sterility, ph, and other factors may differ from vial to vial.

Your money would go to waste.

Sterile water for injections (Braun) costs just €2.36/$2.76 per 100ml. Benzyl Alcohol runs about €15/$17 per liter.

Put 1ml of BA into your sterile water, and that's it.

(yes, this results in a 1% solution rather than 0.9%, but it falls within spec. and is simple to measure.)

Is it necessary for the water to be Braun brand? From what I can tell, it's also not very easy to get in central Europe.

Ampuwa WFI has been suggested by other members here. I'm on the move across mainland Europe right now, and once I get to Germany I plan to buy some.

That looks fine to me.

When you buy the glass-bottled Ampuwa that comes with butyl stoppers, it's essentially equivalent to the Braun or AquaSterop products.

Once I'm back home, I'll also take the tip you gave in a different thread and mix in my own benzyl alcohol.

 

[skaylife]

DrPEPr said:

skaylife said:

DrPEPr said:

Just make your own bac.

The issue with non-Hospira or other non-legit brands of bac is that sterility, ph, and other factors may differ from vial to vial.

Your money would go to waste.

Sterile water for injections (Braun) costs just €2.36/$2.76 per 100ml. Benzyl Alcohol runs about €15/$17 per liter.

Put 1ml of BA into your sterile water, and that's it.

(yes, this results in a 1% solution rather than 0.9%, but it falls within spec. and is simple to measure.)

I followed the same route. From an internet pharmacy I picked up 1 liter of sterile injection water for € 3.5, and from an online lab supplier I got 1/2 liter of benzyl alcohol for € 13. To 1 liter of the sterile water I mixed in 9 ml of BA. The resulting pH came out at 6.3 when read on a refractometer. Throughout the work I used a laminar flow hood and wiped down the workspace with 70% isopropyl alcohol. I have prior experience cultivating mushrooms. All the needed gear is already at my place.

Appreciate you laying that out. My own mix was 1ml of benzyl alcohol added to 1L of sterile water, and the reading came out at pH 6.2 — so that lines up nicely.

Right now I’m (mis)using a lab where I work, though I’ve been thinking about getting a desktop laminar flow hood for the house.

Which laminar flow hood are you running?

I’ve had my eye on the AliExpress ones priced between €450 and €800? Wondering whether they can be trusted.

This might come across as odd, but I built my own laminar flow hood. Mushroom growing was a pastime of mine, and a commercial unit wasn't necessary. I looked into how such devices function and picked it up from another person. The parts all came from a regular shop — the ones visible in that final photo — specifically the aisle stocking air purifiers and ionisers. What you need: a HEPA filter, a carbon filter, a plastic container with a lid, a 12V fan, a 12V adapter paired with a potentiometer to control fan speed, and a digital particle counter. Cut an opening on one side of the container so the HEPA and carbon filters sit one behind the other, then cut a second opening in the container's side wall for the fan. The fan cannot be positioned behind the filters — if it is, you won't achieve laminar airflow. A cheap particle counter can pick up particles down to 2.5 micron. Ideally you set it on a glass table you've wiped down with isopropyl alcohol. No other drafts, no pets, no people moving about in the room where you'll be working. Put the particle counter facing the filter, 15-20 cm away. Run the fan at full speed and give it a few minutes. The particle count will then drop until it hits 0. After that, you might occasionally spot 1-2 particles. That still isn't optimal, though. You have to move the device to various spots in front of the filter and confirm the reading matches everywhere. To get matching results across all positions, you have to gradually lower the fan speed. Once that happens, you've got laminar airflow. At that point you can work in front of the filter, staying within 30 cm. Only the 12v adapter came from aliexpress. The whole build costs under € 100. Yet it genuinely works. Work as quickly as you can to cut down any chance of contamination. If you're willing to spend the kind of money you mentioned, you could even set up a cleanroom by buying a ready-made laminar flow hood — not from aliexpress, but from alibaba through a wholesale supplier. An acquaintance of mine paid around $500 for one measuring 60x120 cm and used it to build a 12m² cleanroom. He grows and sells mushroom cultures professionally. Handling mushroom cultures and spores demands far more care than preparing peptides. If it's not for professional use, a setup like mine gets the job done.

 

[DrPEPr]

Appreciate you laying all that out.

Even though I'm perfectly happy getting my hands dirty, something ready-made appeals to me more.

Seriously though, that thing is a looker

 

[skaylife]

DrPEPr said:

Appreciate you laying all that out.

Even though I'm perfectly happy getting my hands dirty, something ready-made appeals to me more.

Seriously though, that thing is a looker

View attachment 11096

That's a good one, no doubt. It brings to mind the still air box I used previously. The thing is, I'm not a fan of having to work with just my hands stuck inside — it really cuts down on how much you can move. Sure, you could leave the front cover open, but at that point it stops being a laminar flow hood, since air from above would bounce back off the bottom and mix with outside air. I only built it as a challenge and posted it here figuring maybe someone would get some use out of the concept. Anyway, I'll keep to the topic now. Success!