[Histonet] Re: Bouins in microwave

[Teri Johnson]

Thank you Barry for your post. And good for you Rebecca in reflecting on your post and coming back with formalin fumes as being probably the leading danger of heating Bouins. Before there were microwaves used in the lab, we used to mordant at 60 degrees C for an hour in the oven. Opening the regular oven to remove the slides sometimes gave us a good dose of formalin fumes because the ovens were never vented nor placed in the fume hood!

Several ways around this:
-Picric acid mordant as Rebecca does
-Room temperature Bouins overnight in the fume hood
-Put your coplin jar/slide holder in a plastic ziplock bag prior to heating. After heat mordant, take the bag to the fume hood and open it.

Teri Johnson
Manager, Histology
Genomics Institute for
Novartis Research
Foundation
San Diego, CA
858-332-4752