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Formaldehyde as a Fixative for Light and Electron Microscopy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2018

Freida L. Carson
Freida L. Carson*
Affiliation:
Baylor University Medical Center

Extract

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Since Blum discovered its hardening properties in 1893, formaldehyde has become the most widely used fixative in the world for specimens to be examined by light microscopy. However, since most commercial preparations of formaldehyde contain methanol, a protein precipitant, formaldehyde has been considered an unsatisfactory fixative for tissues to be examined by electron microscopy. In 1973, Carson et al., described a parallel study comparing the electron microscopic results of fixation with paraformaidehyde vs. formaldehyde. They found that there was no difference in the preservation of ultrastructural morphology provided that the buffer systems were identical. In 1976, McDowell and Trump described a fixative combining commercial formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde (4CF-1G). Both of these fixatives are dual purpose fixatives and preclude the selection of tissue for electron microscopy prior to fixation. They can both be prepared in large quantities and used for routine surgical specimens. The fixative containing formaldehyde alone does not need to be refrigerated and is stable for months; whereas, the formaldehyde-glutaraldehyde mixture should be refrigerated.

Type
Research Article
Information
Microscopy Today , Volume 8 , Issue 5 , June 2000 , pp. 30 - 31
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2000

References

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