Chapter 1

Question 1

Fixation

Answer 1

Small pieces of tissue are placed in solutions of chemicals that cross-link proteins and inactivate degradative enzymes, which preserve cell and tissue structure.

Question 2

Dehydration

Answer 2

: The tissue is transferred through a series of increasingly concentrated alcohol solutions, ending in 100%, which removes all water.

Question 3

Clearing

Answer 3

Alcohol is removed in organic solvents in which both alcohol and paraffin are miscible.

Question 4

Infiltration:

Answer 4

: The tissue is then placed in melted paraffin until it becomes completely infiltrated with this substance.

Question 5

Embedding:

Answer 5

: The paraffin-infiltrated tissue is placed in a small mold with melted paraffin and allowed to harden.

Question 6

Trimming:

Answer 6

: The resulting paraffin block is trimmed to expose the tissue for sectioning (slicing) on a microtome.

Question 7

A microtome

Answer 7

is used for sectioning paraffin-embedded tissues for light microscopy.