Detonox

Q: We are working with cannabis resin in our lab and the residue is very tough to remove.  We are currently using isopropyl alcohol and it is just not good enough.  Any advice?

A: It is no secret that waxy, sticky cannabis and other botanical resins are some of the most difficult residues to clean.  But of course, keeping your labware, glassware and other laboratory equipment clean is vital. 

Alkaline Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction that takes place when tough organic residues are soaked in an alkaline solutions like detergent. Organic and biological compounds are altered and made unstable by alkaline cleaning agents as they undergo a process called alkaline hydrolysis. Alkaline hydrolysis breaks these residues into smaller more water soluble and more easily emulsified molecules.

There are two types of residues, specifically, that are broken down by alkaline detergents…

Which Alconox Inc. product do you recommend for removing petrolatum and paraffin from stainless steel, glassware, and plastics? We will be washing utensils and equipment by hand in the lab.

Q. We are looking for a product that will allow us to clean mold release agent from the surface of molded HDPE parts. A. The best way to reliably remove silicone based mold release agents is to immerse the HDPE parts in very hot (170ºF) 2% Alconox detergent followed by a very hot (170ºF) rinse, ideally both in ultrasonic tanks. After the first very hot rinse, normal ambient temperature rinsing can be done. This can also be done with stiff brushes, but of course protective equipment must be worn.

The theory behind this is that …

Q. We reprocess single use medical devices and we are having trouble getting organic and biological residue out of crevices. It is requiring cleaning for a much longer time than we can support in our processes. We’ve started to do pre-soaking as we read that this would help, but we’re a little concerned we are not doing that optimally either. Can you make recommendations?