Fixatives v.

Alcoholic Formalin (Gendre’s

fluid)
1. Aldehyde Fixatives
 Fixation time is afaster
a. Formaldehyde (Formalin)
 For rapid diagnosis (fix
i. Formaldehyde (Formalin)
and dehydrates)
 10% is most commonly
 For glycogen and micro
used
incineration technique
 For
 Fix sputum
immunohistochemistry
 Partial lysis of RBC
and interphase
 Poor for iron containing
fluorescent in situ
tissue
hybridization
vi. Zinc formalin
 Recommended for
 Alternative for mercuric
nervous tissue, colored
chloride formula
tissue photography
b. Paraformaldehyde
 Tolerant fixatives
 Polymerized form of
 Irritating fumes and
formaldehyde
solution
 White fine powder
ii. 10% Formol saline
 Depolymerizes back to formalin
 CNS tissue and general
c. Karnovsky’s Fixative
post mortem tissue
 samples for light microscopy in
 Microanatomic and
resin embedding and sectioning
cytologic details
and for electron microscopy
 Enzymes and
d. Glutaraldehyde
nucleoproteins
 2 formaldehyde residues link by
 Natural color restore in
3 carbon chain
70% alcohol
 For electron microscope
iii. 10% Neutral buffered Formalin
 Osmium tetroxide as secondary
 For surgical, post
fixative
mortem and research
 Plasma proteins is preserve
specimens
better
 Prevent ppt of acid
2. Metallic Fixatives
formalin
a. Mercury Chloride
 For tissue containing
i. Mercuric Chloride
iron pigments
 Common metallic
 Loss basophilic staining
fixatives
 Positivity of mucin to
 All have black
PAS is reduced
precipitates except Susa
iv. Formol Corrosive
 Deposits are remove
 Routine post mortem
from deparaffinized
tissue
sections before staining
 Cytological structures
 For tissue photography
and blood cells are well
(choice)
preserved
 Cause shrinkage of cels
 No need of washing out
ii. Zenker’s Fluid
 Fix lipids, neutral fats
 For small pieces of liver,
and phospholipis
spleen, connective
 There is mercuric
tissue fibers and nuclei
chloride deposits
  Add glacial acetic cid 7. Trichloroacetic acid
before 8. Acetone
 For trichrome staining
 Act as mordant
 Not stable after
addition of acetic acid
iii. Helly’s Fluid
 For bone marrow,
extramedullary
hematopoiesis and
intercalated disc
 Pituitry gland, bone
marrow and blood
containing organs such
as spleen and liver
 Fix better than zenkers
iv. Haidenhain’s susa solution
 For tumor biopsy esp.
skin
 Counter balance of the
swelling effects
v. B-5 fixatives
 Cytology for bone
marrow biopsy
 1 ½ and 2 hrs fixation
b. Chromate Fixatives
i. Chromic acid
 Precipitates proteins,
preserve carbohydrates
ii. Potassium dichromate
iii. Regauds (Muller’s Fluid)
iv. Orths fluid
c. Lead fixatives
3. Picric Acid Fixatives
a. Picric acid
b. Bouin’s solution
c. Brasil’s alcoholic picroformol
4. Glacial Acetic Acid
5. Precipitating (Alcohol) Fixatives
a. 100% methyl alcohol
b. 95% isopropyl alcohol
c. 70% to 100% Ethyl Alcohol
d. Carnoy’s fixatives
e. Clarke’s solution
f. Newcomer’s fixative
6. Osmium tetroxide (Osmic Acid) Fixatives
a. Flemming’s solution
b. Flemming’s solution without acetic
acid