Merck, H1387-10L, Hanks′ Balanced Salts

General description
Balanced salt solution (BSS) serves as an irrigating, transporting, and diluting fluid while maintaining intra- and extracellular osmotic balance. It also provides cells with water and certain bulk inorganic ions essential for normal cell metabolism. BSS when combined with a carbohydrate, such as glucose, provides the principal energy source for cell metabolism. In addition, it also provides a buffering system to maintain the medium within the physiological pH range (7.2-7.6).
Application
Hanks′ Balanced Salts has been used:
for diluting digested tissues during isolation of pancreatic blood vessels
for washing mouse intestinal mucosal cells before lysis and sonication
as an immersion solution to test the in vitro bioactivity of poly(ε-caprolactone)-coated hydroxyapatite scaffold derived from cuttlefish bone

Preparation Note
Formulated to contain 9.7 grams of powder per liter of medium.
Supplement with 0.35 g/L sodium bicarbonate.
Other Notes
The pH is adjusted after addition of sodium bicarbonate. Investigators who work with stem cells or cell clones frequently prefer media without phenol red.