A momentous day.
As I was
getting ready to stain a batch of slides with Masson this morning I
finally finished a bottle of phosphomolybdic acid dated, 17 July 1956. 47
years old and still working as new, is this a record. None of your cheap
plastic bottles here, this is an amber powder bottle for 500g. At the
time the University paid 2 shillings deposit for the bottle, I wonder if
BDH will still honour the deposit?
When I
looked up the current BHD (Merck) catalogue to re-order not only has the
name changed, dodeca-Molybdophosphoric acid, but the price left me
trembling at the knees, 229.32PS (~344$). I know I'm just a reactionary
old histologist, but a Masson is hard to match. So rather than 5%
dodeca-Molybdophosphoric acid it'll be a lower strength and longer
differentiation.
A question
for John Kiernan if he's reading this posting. In your current
Histological and Histochemical Methods you use a PMA-PTA mixture to
differentiate Biebrich scarlet. Do you have any experience using this
differentiator for Ponceau Acid Fuchsin? I imagine it will be almost the
same but time might be different. Interestingly you state that it will
keep working for 5 years despite the colour change. Does
differentiation just take longer with use and age or is there a
termination point? Last question, Biebrich scarlet and Ponceau acid
fuchsin, any reason you prefer Biebrich scarlet?
Ian.
Dr. Ian Montgomery,
Histotechnology,
Graham Kerr Building,
Institute of Biomedical & Life Sciences,
University of Glasgow,
Glasgow,
G12 8QQ.
Tel: 0141 339 8855
Office: 4652
Lab: 6644.
Pager: 07625 702883
e-mail: ian.montgomery@bio.gla.ac.uk
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