Van der Grift
Formula
| Material | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Ethanol, 95% | 360 | mL |
| Strong formalin | 120 | mL |
| Acetic acid, glacial | 45 | mL |
| Picric acid, sat. ethanol | 440 | mL |
| Mercuric chloride | 2 | g |
| Urea | 5 | g |
Mix the ethanol, formalin and acetic acid together, then add the saturated, alcoholic picric acid. Add the mercuric chloride and completely dissolve, then add the urea and completely dissolve.
Description
McManus and Mowry comment that this is an alternative to Bouin’s fluid and is useful as a “dehydrating” fixative, i.e. it is used for rapid fixation and processing. Tissues should be placed directly into absolute ethanol following a fixation period of 2 to 12 hours.
The formula required 40 grams dried picric acid. This has been converted to the volume of ethanolic picric acid specified, based on it saturating in ethanol at 9%. Instead of absolute ethanol, this fixative may be made with absolute iso-propanol. If that is done, the volumes of iso-propanol and saturated picric acid in iso-propanol should be recalculated.
Safety Note
Prior to handling any chemical, consult the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for proper handling and safety precautions.
References
- McManus, J.F.A. and Mowry, R.W., (1960),
Staining methods, histologic and histochemical,
Harper & Row, New York, NY, USA.
