Some of the most commonly used pressure transmitting media have been sodium chloride, silicone oil, and a 4:1 methanol-ethanol mixture. Sodium chloride is easy to load and is used for high-temperature experiments because it acts as a good thermal insulator. The methanol-ethanol mixture displays good hydrostaticity to about 10 GPa and with the addition of a small amount of water can be extended to about 15 GPa.