Celloidin Adhesives
Strictly speaking, celloidinisation is not an adhesive technique but an entrapment. It is used when sections are lifting off the slide or when the staining procedure involves strongly alkaline solutions, ammoniacal silver for instance, which tend to soften protein adhesives, particularly egg albumen.
If all celloidin is to be removed from the section after staining, because of precipitated silver for example, place the slide in either ethanol ether followed by fresh absolute ethanol, or in two baths of acetone. Gently agitate then clear with xylene and mount.
For sections celloidinised to stop them lifting, removal is probably neither necessary nor desirable.
Formula
| Material | Concentration | |
|---|---|---|
| Celloidin | 1 | % in ethanol ether 1:1 |
| Ethanol | 70 | % |
| Acetone | 100 | % |
Procedure
- Dewax the section and bring to absolute ethanol.
- Place in the celloidin solution for a few minutes.
- Remove the slide and drain well, but do not allow to completely dry.
- Place into 70% ethanol for 5 minutes to harden the celloidin.
- Continue on to water.
- Stain as usual.
Safety Note
Prior to handling any chemical, consult the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for proper handling and safety precautions.
References
- Steedman, H.F., (1960)
Section cutting in microscopy
Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, UK
