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Home / Techniques / Protocols / Fixative FAA

Techniques. Recipes

FIXATIVE FAA

Fixatives are solutions of substances for preserving the morphological features of tissues similar to the alive features. They allow the processing of biological samples through histological techniques, minimizing the degradation of tissue structures. There are many fixative solutions that are chosen regarding the sample and the feature of the tissue to be studied.

The fixative FAA (formaldehyde, alcohol, acetic acid) is commonly used for plant tissues. Although the cytoplasm is not very well-preserved, it is a good fixative to preserve the plant tissue organization.

Recipe

50 ml ethanol

5 ml glacial acetic acid

10 ml of 40 % formaldehyde

35 ml ditilled H2O

Solutions

Formaldehyde: 40 % of formaldehyde in distilled H2O

Notes

The smaller samples, like thin leaves, are fixed for 12 h, whereas larger organs may be fixed for 24h, or longer.

It is convenient to perform the fixation in a vacuum device. In this way, the intra-tissular air bubbles are removed, favoring the diffusion of the fixative. This is general advice for fixation, no matter the tissue.

Products

Ethanol

Formaldehyde

Glacial acetic acid

Distilled H2O

Labware

Test tube

Bottles

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