MOUNTING OF SECTIONS Flashcards
Purpose of mounting
To protect the section from physical injury, bleaching or deterioration due to oxidation, thereby preserving the slides for permanent keeping
To facilitate easy handling and storage
To prevent the damage of sections which may lead to distortion of image during microscopic examination
A syrupy fluid applied between the section and the coverslip, setting the section firmly, preventing the movement of the coverslip
Mounting medium
Designed to mount water-miscible preparations directly from water
Aqueous media
Examples of Aqueous Media
Water
Glycerin Jelly
Gum Arabic
Apathy’s medium
Brun’s fluid
Karo Corn syrup
Used for preparations that have been dehydrated and cleared in xylene or toluene, and are recommended for majority of staining methods
Resinous media
Examples of Resinous Media
Canada Balsam
DPX
Xam
Permount
Clarite
Most standard mounting medium
Glycerin Jelly
Generally used for fluorescent staining
Apathy’s medium
Low refractive index, moderately transparent, and evaporates easily, only for temporary mounting
Water
MOST IMPORTANT; natural resin extracted from the Canadian tree, Abus balsamea
Canada Balsam
Utilized for fat & fat derivative sources
Gum Arabic
Gum Arabic is also known as
Farrant ‘s medium
Mounting frozen sections from water
Brun’s fluid
Small tissue sections but not for whole mounts
DPX
Preserves stains well
Xam
