Dehydrant Advantages Disadvantages

Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) 1. Nontoxic 1. Expensive

Boiling point 2. Miscible in all proportions with 2. Avoid long periods in absolute
78.3° C water. ethanol to prevent excessive
3. Little shrinkage if graded shrinkage and hardening
alcohols are used 3. May be difficult to obtain
4. Can be used on eyes and 4. May have prohibitive taxes
embryos, if graded alcohols are that necessitate troublesome
used bookkeeping
5. Fast acting 5. Extracts methylene blue and
6. Still considered best other thiazine dyes from sections
dehydrant
7. Reliable

Butanol (butyl alcohol) 1. Less shrinkage and hardening 1. Odorous

Boiling point than with ethyl 2. Long periods of infiltration
117.7° C 2. Excellent for slow processing necessary
3. Miscible with paraffin 3. Dehydrating power low

Tertiary butanol (butyl alcohol) 1. Universal solvent—acts as 1. Odorous

Boiling point dehydrant and clearing agent 2. More expensive than butanol
82.8° C 2. May be used in staining series 3. Primary infiltration must be
as a dehydrant done in half tertiary butanol and
3. Mixes with water, ethanol, half paraffin, prior to paraffin
xylene, and paraffin in all impregnation
proportions 4. Reagent tends to solidify at
room temperature or below 25°
C
Dioxane 1. Universal solvent—dehydrates 1. Needs large volume for
Refractive index and clears dehydration
1.42 2. Miscible with water, alcohol, 2. Costs about for times more
Boiling point xylene, and paraffin than does absolute alcohol
101.5° C 3. Does not harm tissue over 3. Must be used in well-vntilated
long time periods rooms
4. Produces less shrinkage than 4. Cumulatively toxic
ethanol 5. Odorous
5. Faster dehydrant than ethanol 6. Distorts tissue-containing
cavities
Acetone 1. Rapid dehydrant 1. Requires a clearing agent
Boiling point 2. Less expensive than ethanol 2. Volume must be 20 times that
56° C 3. Does not extract methylene of the tissue
blue and other dyes from stained 3. Best processing requires a
sections graded series of a mixture of
acetone and xylene before one
can go into paraffin
4. Needs good ventilation:
evaporates rapidly; flammable

Edited by Andrew O’Connell

Ethlylene glycol monoethyl 1. Rapid dehydrant 1. Expensive
(Cellosolve) 2. Tissue may remain in it for 2. Rapidly absorbs water from
Boiling point months without injury the air
156.4° C 3. Avoids distortion and does not 3. Requires clearing agent
require graded dilutions
Tetrahydrofuran 1. Miscible in all proportions with 1. Odorous- should be used in
Boiling point water, ether, chloroform, well-ventilated room
65° C acetone, and the hydrocarbons 2. Evaporates rapidly
xylene, toluene, and benzene 3. Dyes are not soluble in
2. Rapid without excessive tetrahydrofuran
shrinkage and hardening
3. Low toxicity; low fire and
explosion hazard
4. Not toxic
5. Better results than most
universal solvents
6. Solvents of mounting media
Triethyl phosphate 1. May be used in routine None
Boiling point paraffin technic
215° C 2.Displaces water readily with
slight distortion
3. Does not harden tissue
excessively
4. May be used as a dehydrant in
the staining sequence
5. Soluble in alcohols, benzene,
toluene, xylene, ether,
chloroform
Isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol) 1. Excellent substitute for 1. Cannot be used in the celloidin
Boiling point ethanol technic since nitrocellulose is
82.3° C 2. Less shrinkage and hardening insoluble in it
than ethanol 2. Cannot be used for preparing
3. No government restrictions on staining solutions, since dyes are
its use not soluble in it
4. Sufficiently water-free to use
in place of absolute ethanol
5. Lillie considers it “the best all-
around substitute for ethyl
alcohol”
6. Less expensive than tax-free
alcohol
Pentanol (amyl alcohol) 1. Miscible with 90% alcohol, 1. Toxic
Boiling point toluene, and xylene 2. Cannot be used in poorly
128° C 2. Dissolves paraffin wax ventilated rooms
3. Not miscible with water

Edited by Andrew O’Connell