[Histonet] Re: Isopropanol in paraffin processing

[John Difford]

Dear All

Thank you Professor Smith for coming to my rescue and agreeing that
isopropanol and melted paraffin wax are mutually soluble at least to some
extend.
i have not tested the exact proportions of each that will dissolve 
together but I have used isopropanol to process small biopsies without  the
use of a clearing agent. 
The advantage of this is vastly improved staining. 
The downside of the technique is that isopropanol is poorer at removing fat
than ethanol followed by xylene and therefore tissue blocks with a higher
fat content may not infiltrate with wax properly, resulting in poor
sectioning.

John Difford
Histopathology
Royal Free Hospital
London
England, UK