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Glutaraldehyde. The influence of pH, temperature, and buffering on the polymerization rate

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During a 5-month period the polymerization rate of monomeric glutaraldehyde was determined at different temperatures and pHs. To elucidate the role of temperature, the authors used a 20.8% aqueous solution of glutaraldehyde at the following temperatures: −14°, 4°, 20°, 25°, 30°, 40°, 50°, and 60° C. With increasing temperature the rate of polymerization rose exponentially. To elucidate the role of pH the authors used 4% glutaraldehyde solutions in Teorell and Stenhagen's universal buffer of the following pHs: 3.0, 5.0, 6.5, 7.5, 8.5, 10.0, and 12.0 and in phosphate and cacodylate buffers pH 7.4. On both sides of the neutral point the polymerization rate showed a marked rise, so that the pH dependence could be depicted as an exponential curve. Moreover, a marked difference in the polymerization rate was found for the various buffers at the same pH. It was not possible to demonstrate a significant decrease of the osmolar concentration within the experimental range gradually as the polymerization increased.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anatomy Department B, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Knud Erik Rasmussen & John Albrechtsen

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  1. Knud Erik Rasmussen
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  2. John Albrechtsen
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Rasmussen, K.E., Albrechtsen, J. Glutaraldehyde. The influence of pH, temperature, and buffering on the polymerization rate. Histochemistry 38, 19–26 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00490216

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00490216

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