Pebbles as Dry Ice Replacement for Snap Freezing of Rodents Brains

Dry ice is commonly used as a cooling agent in the preclinical research environment. It permits rapid freezing of tissues and organs through liquid media. Laboratories depend on a constant supply of dry ice because it disintegrates in a matter of days. Here we tested whether commercially available pebble gravel could be used as dry ice replacement for snap freezing mouse brains in 2-methylbutane. We monitored 2-methylbutane temperature for one hour and tested different setups with the focus on creating a practical solution that can be used in every research laboratory. While gravel pebbles cannot replace dry ice in the laboratory entirely, they present a useful addition as readily available and reusable cooling agent.