cold chain
A glossary of cold-chain terms
Setpoint is not air temperature, and a phase-change pack is not every coolant. Compare the cold-chain pairs labs treat as one word.
8 October 2026 · 11 min read
Topic cluster
Cold chain and sample storage
Fridge, freezer and dry-ice practice for research samples, including heat, humidity and shipment constraints.
All topicsBuffers and laboratory water26Cell culture26Chromatography26Cold chain and sample storage26Cytometry and microscopy26DNA sequencing26Gels and blotting26Gene expression26Genome editing26Immunoassays26Laboratory labware26Laboratory safety26Liquid handling26Microbiology26Molecular cloning26Nucleic acid purification26PCR and amplification26Protein biochemistry26Proteomics26Research sourcing and study design26
cold chainfreezerssamplesshippingdry iceenzymesaliquotscryostorageprocurementalarmslabelssafetyfrostinventoryloggersnucleic acids
26 articles
cold chain
Avoiding frost on a rack you opened too long
Choose the rack from the map before you open the door. Warm moist air ices the front boxes, and the decision is to close.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
cold chain
Backup freezers and who holds the key
A backup is a named person, a route for the boxes, and a temperature check on arrival. A locked spare freezer is only a second appliance.
8 October 2026 · 8 min read
cold chain
Comparing storage temperatures for nucleic acids
DNA often tolerates minus 20 better than RNA. Compare fridge, minus 20, and minus 80 against the kit and the sample SOP.
8 October 2026 · 8 min read
cold chain
Cryovials in liquid nitrogen and the explosion risk
A leaking cryovial can fill with liquid nitrogen and burst on warming. Compare that immersion risk with vapour-phase storage before you specify tubes.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
cold chain
Data loggers and what a temperature trace shows
A data logger draws a trace, not a verdict. Probe placement changes the meaning. Judge time out of range, not one pretty number.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
cold chain
Dry ice is cold carbon dioxide not a magic gel
Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide that sublimes near minus 78.5 °C. It is not a gel pack, and it does not cool by melting into a liquid.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
cold chain
Dry ice packing for sample shipments
Dry ice keeps non-infectious research samples cold and can burn skin or displace air. Carrier rules and infectious-substance law still govern shipping.
8 October 2026 · 11 min read
cold chain
Enzymes shipped on ice and what to do on arrival
On arrival, name the coolant and move the enzyme to the temperature on its document. A foam shipper is not a place to wait out a meeting.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
cold chain
Freeze-thaw cycles and aliquots
Freeze-thaw damage comes from ice, concentrated solutes, and interfaces. Aliquots cut cycles. No single cycle count fits every sample.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
cold chain
Freezer maps and the box you cannot find
A freezer map records rack, box, and position so you can retrieve a sample without a long search with the door open.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read
cold chain
Fridge minus-20 and minus-80 storage are different tools
A fridge, a minus-20 freezer, and a minus-80 freezer slow different damage. Put each reagent in the class its own document names.
8 October 2026 · 9 min read