Nalgene™ General Long-Term Storage Cryogenic Tubes

Both types are designed and tested for secure cryogenic storage, so it’s largely a matter of personal preference. In an externally threaded vial (in which the cap covers the entire top portion of the vial itself), the underside of the cap is protected when unscrewed), which can minimize the potential for cross-contamination. In an internally threaded vial (in which the vial threads are inside the neck area and the cap inserts like a plug), the cap is the same diameter as the vial itself which can be helpful in certain types of dense storage applications.

Liquid nitrogen has very low surface tension, so it can flow into any of our cryostorage vials even if they are tightly capped. This creates significant potential for cross-contamination in storage as well as risk of injury from explosion when the vials are removed from storage and the liquid nitrogen boils off. The only option to mitigate this is Nunc Cryoflex tubing (e.g., Cat. No. 343958), which results in a heat-sealed barrier layer around each vial. Alternatively, storage in the vapor phase of liquid nitrogen is acceptable unless otherwise noted.