Method 1:
3% aqueous Methyl cellulose:
1. Heat 100ml of DI water to 85°C
2. Shake 3g of Methyl Cellulose powder into the hot water and stir rapidly while cooling the solution to 5°C in an ice bath
3. Solution is stable at room temperature but store in tightly closed containers.
4. Use it to slow down protozoa for microscopy
Method 2:
From : https://www.researchgate.net/
I have made up to 4% methylcellulose perfectly clear in the following way.
- Take 1/2 the volume of your liquid, heat to about 30 C in a vessel with a large stir bar. I use a 200 mL wide-mouth glass tissue culture bottle.
- Put the other 1/2 volume of liquid in a container on ice to cool to 1-4 deg C..
- Take the WARM solution off the heat, add your MC with stirring. Manual stirring works best; I use a glass rod to go in and around the stir bar. The MC will not go into solution yet; it will be white and sticky with blobs.
- Now add your COLD solution, put on a stir plate and stir vigorously. You may have to stir a few times manually to loosen the stir bar. The stir plate must have a strong magnet to generate enough force. If it is too weak, stir by hand.
- Once most of the MC is in solution, refrigerate overnight. Bubbles will disappear and you will have a clear solution.
The previous comment is correct that excess heat causes methylcellulose to gel, which may explain the cloudiness of the previous preparation.