Many thanks to all who replied to me recent plea for help regarding
sticking methacrylate sections to glass slides. I received lots of advice
which I am still in the process of evaluating. However, the best 'solution' so
far appears to be Mayere's egg albumin - which is consistently giving a
section-retention rate greater than 90%. I think it just goes to prove that
there is nothing new in microscopy...
Best wishes to everyone!
Nigel Chaffey: IACR-Long Ashton Research Station, Dept Agric. Sci.,
Univ. Bristol, Long Ashton, Bristol BS18 9AF, UK (email
-nigel.chaffey@bbsrc.ac.uk)
Added by the editor:
Mayer's Adhesive
This is the older standard adhesive.
To the white of a fresh egg add about an equal quantity of glycerin and 1 g.
of sodium salicylate or a crushed crystal of thymol. Shake well, and filter through sterile
cotton or two or three thicknesses of sterile cheese-
cloth. Use clean tap water for floating sections. While it will keep for
as long as 6 months, solutions more than a month old lose their adhesive
quality. If eggs are cheap and easily available, one may use filtered
white of egg alone. Mayer's adhesive possesses less holding quality than
Haupt's and also has the annoying property of absorbing coal-tar dyes.
(FRom: Plant Microtechnique by Johansen)
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