Sodium Metasilicate Add-In Solution

$ 45.00 $ 75.00

Sodium Metasilicate Add-In Solution
(Na₂SiO₃·9H₂O)

Add a source of silica to culture media that is lacking the component. Often used when culturing diatoms or any strains that require silica. One bottle can provide a 200 µM silica boost to approximately 125 Liters of media*.

Sodium Metasilicate Solution At A Glance
Empirical Formula	Na₂SiO₃·9H₂O
Concentration	200 mM
Total Volume	125 mL
*Amount to add	Add 1 mL per Liter for a 200 µM final concentration

Silica Media Booster

Metasilicate is required for many diatom strains and is important for the formation of frustules. Diatoms need about the same ratio of nitrogen and silicon for growth, with evidence showing a lower growth rate of diatoms in media containing ratios with less silicon versus nitrogen.

Add 1 mL/L of this solution to your media to provide a boost of silica (Final Concentration: 200 µM). The Sodium Metasilicate Add-In Solution is sterile and should be handled aseptically to prevent contamination.

Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

Important Notes To Consider:

The quality of water, including natural seawater, is important. The term 'dH₂O' generally refers to distilled, deionized, distilled/deionized water, Milli-Q water (Millipore Corp.), etc. Natural seawater and natural freshwater should be obtained from a non-polluted source.
When dissolving chemicals, wait for the first component to dissolve before adding the second. Stirring, and sometimes the addition of heat, is often required to dissolve the chemicals efficiently. Preparation of stock solutions for frequently made algal culture media make preparing media convenient but also necessary to avoid errors from weighing very tiny amounts.
Attention should be given to the pH of the final medium. In most cases, if pH adjustment is required, this occurs before sterilization. Please note that autoclaving removes carbon dioxide from media lacking carbonate stabilizing buffers. This would make the medium very alkaline soon after removal from the autoclave. In these cases, you should wait approximately 24 hours for gaseous equilibrium before inoculating the medium.