formalin

American  

[fawr-muh-lin] / ˈfɔr mə lɪn /

noun

Chemistry.

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

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formalin British  

/ ˈfɔːməlɪn, ˈfɔːmɒl /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of formalin

First recorded in 1890–95; formerly a trademark

Example Sentences

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

He checks the wet collections - specimens preserved in alcohol and formalin - as well as doing jobs for colleagues and caring for the museum's colony of live beetles.

From BBC

Dr. Salk made an ambitious bet that he could develop a vaccine for polio using inactivated virus, which was killed using formalin.

From New York Times