Why must I neutralize the pH of solubilized samples prior to adding biodegradable BCS scintillation cocktail?
A. Biodegradable scintillation cocktails use a biodegradable emulsifier intermediate as the solvent. A chemical incompatibility occurs when such cocktails are combined with high pH samples or materials such as NCS Tissue Solubilizer. It is therefore necessary to add glacial acetic acid to lower the pH of samples prior to adding the scintillation cocktail. Most samples for liquid scintillation counting will have better counting efficiencies at a slightly acidic pH.
