What Is a Shell Vial?

A form of test tube, shell vials have many practical uses in the home or the laboratory. The seamless glass tubes have become fixtures in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and research industries.

Uses

In the home, shell vials can be used to organize and store small items, dry goods, or spices. But shell vials are most often used in laboratories to hold chemicals, specimens, and other materials. They can play integral roles in sample analysis, particularly in the field of virology.

Types

Shell vials come in a variety of sizes and can have either flat or rounded bottoms. They may be either clear or amber in color, and some may also have straight-sided walls for labels.

Benefits

Shell vials can be used to analyze viral specimens faster and more economically than standard tissue cultures. The shell vial is used to hold a specimen grown on a monolayer. The vial is then inserted in a centrifuge to speed up the entire process.

Features

Shell vials can be designed to use either corks or plastic stoppers, depending on the tube's contents and intended application.

Facts

Most shell vials are made from borosilicate glass, which is comprised of silica and boron oxide. Borosilicate glass is extremely resistant to thermal shock.

References

• LabDepotInc.com
• PacificVial.com
• London Laboratory Services Group