Solvents & Supplies
Bacteriostatic Water
Also published as BAC water, Bacteriostatic water for injection
Sterile water containing 0.9 percent benzyl alcohol as a bacteriostatic preservative. The preservative is what allows a vial to be entered more than once without the contents supporting bacterial growth.
Where it came from
A pharmacopoeial preparation, described in the USP.
Relevant background
- Benzyl alcohol as an antimicrobial preservative
- Compatibility and preservative interactions with peptide solutions
State of the evidence
A diluent, not a study subject.
What a buyer should know
Benzyl alcohol is not inert. It is contraindicated in neonatal preparations, and it can interact with the compound in solution. Where a protocol calls for a preservative free diluent, bacteriostatic water is the wrong choice regardless of how much more convenient it is.
Handling and stability
Store at room temperature. Once entered, the preservative typically supports repeated withdrawal for around 28 days under the usual pharmacopoeial convention. Do not use if cloudy or discoloured.
Read it yourself
We do not publish a curated citation list, because a hand picked list of papers is a sales tool. These links run a live query against the public databases, so you see everything, including the results that do not suit us.
Supplied for laboratory research use only. Nothing on this page is a dose, a protocol or a claim of effect in humans, and nothing here is medical advice. Read our research use policy.