formalin

[fawr-muh-lin]

noun

Chemistry.

1. a clear, colorless, aqueous solution of 40 percent formaldehyde.

formalin

/ ˈfɔːməlɪn, ˈfɔːmɒl /

noun

1. a 40 per cent solution of formaldehyde in water, used as a disinfectant, preservative for biological specimens, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of formalin¹

First recorded in 1890–95; formerly a trademark

Example Sentences

First, the brain is preserved in formalin for two weeks.

From Los Angeles Times

This was a challenge because the specimen had been preserved for too long in formalin, which destroys genetic material.

From Science Magazine

The virus was grown in cells, and inactivated with formalin to make the “dead” virus stimulate an immune response without causing illness.

From Scientific American

"She has further requested that both fresh, frozen and formalin fixed tissue and fluid samples be preserved and provided to an independent expert to carry out further tests."

From BBC

And in 2013 they presented a second genome from a U.S. flu fatality, teased out from autopsy tissue that had been preserved in formalin at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.

From Science Magazine