Chitin, if I remember correctly, after working with it years ago, is an
amino sugar, and is broken down with an enzyme - a lysozyme.  You could go
into biochemical literature and look up Charlotte Schellman - she worked
with egg white lysozyme on chitin from crabshells. If anything, the enzyme
would soften the chitinous shell. I am not sure you could paraffin embed. 

Contact Cheryl Crowder at  - she has worked
with just about every marine creature possible and also Linda Cherepow now
at Amgen-Seattle, sorry don't have her email.  Cheryl may have her current
email address.  

You may end up doing polymethylmethacrylate method plastic, do search on
Histonet Archive, methods have been given out and discussed there. 



At 03:45 PM 4/14/2003 +0930, you wrote:
>We are looking at doing serial sections of a crayfish tail. Do we need to
>remove the chitin, if so how best to do this without affecting the
>histology. Also is it best to embedd in paraffin or resin. If anyone has a
>protocol please send.
>
>Jim
>
>
>
>
Gayle Callis
MT,HT,HTL(ASCP)
Research Histopathology Supervisor
Veterinary Molecular Biology - Marsh Lab
Montana State University - Bozeman
S. 19th and Lincoln St
Bozeman MT 59717-3610

406 994-6367 (lab with voice mail)
406 994-4303 (FAX)

email: gcallis@montana.edu