[Histonet] MMA de-plasticizing

[Gayle Callis]

Michele,

Lots of people doing MMA embedded bone and with the exact safety devices and 
other precautions you described when working with the methyl methacrylate 
monomers, plasticizers, catalysts, and solvents.  These are also highly 
toxic and explosive - as much or more so than warm xylene.   There have been 
some other solvents described in Histonet Archives besides xylene.

The xylene does not have to be hot, just 37C for approx 15 to 20 minutes 
according to Neil Hand (expert at doing this).  However, his sections were 
very thin, approx 2 um (you did not say how thick your sections are going to 
be?)  If your sections are thicker than Hands, then increase time and with 
extra changes of xylene to ensure MMA removal. A water bath to hold very 
tightly sealed staining jars of xylene is advisable to avoid any water 
contamination in with the xylene/sections.

Remember that people add heat to tissue processing stations on automated 
tissue processor -  including the xylene stations and that temperature will 
be as much as 40C, and possibly slightly higher.   As long as you are in a 
hood, things should go well.

Gayle M. Callis
HTL/HT/MT(ASCP)
Bozeman MT


---- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michele Wich" <mwich <@t> 7thwavelabs.com>
To: <histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
Sent: Friday, May 30, 2008 9:39 AM
Subject: [Histonet] MMA de-plasticizing


Is there anyone out there doing MMA on un-decalcified bone? I'm wondering if 
there is any way to de-plasticize without putting the slides in heated 
xylene--a potentially explosive situation which technically would require 
explosion proof oven, hood, clothing, etc. I know that the flash point of 
xylene is quite low (26.1°C, I think, which is barely above room 
temperature). Is there a way around this safety issue?


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