Diane Mahovlic at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation asks:

>>Can anyone provide a reference for an aluminum stain for undecalcified bone 
embedded in PMMA that uses aluminon?<<

I never heard of "aluminon", but here's what I have in my files, including a=20
note from John Kiernan.

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville TN
******************
Detection of subtle aluminum-related osteodystrophy
Romanski, Susan A., McCarthy, James T.; Kluge, Kathryn; and Fitzpatrick, 
Lorraine A. (Bone Histomorphometry Lab.) Mayo Clin Proc 1993;68:419-426.

The role of aluminum in renal osteodystrophy
Sherrard, Donald J. (VAMC Seattle) pp 510-511

Aluminum-related bone disease is the commonest form of renal osteodystrophy.=20
There are two main sources, dialysis fluid (which should not occur), and 
aluminum-containing phosphate binding agents. The disease is treatable with 
deferoxamine.

Reference method: electrothermal atomization AAS.
The article doesn’t say, but presumably undecalcified sections were cut, 
after methacrylate embedding.
Two stains are described: 
    The less sensitive aurin tricarboxylic acid (ATA) as a 2% solution in an=20
ammonium acetate/chloride buffer of unstated pH.
    The more sensitive stain was a 1% solution of Mordant Blue 1 (C.I. 43830) 
whose innaleckshul name is acid solochrome azurine (ASA), in a 1% solution in 
acetic acid at pH 5.0. Stain at room temperature for 18 hours [have they ever 
heard of microwaving?]. Reference: Kay M et al, Kidney Int 1990;37:1142-7
    Result: “dark enhancement of cement lines” 
    A note on Histonet in March 2000 says this dye is no longer available.
  It's worth mentioning that this dye (which has several uses
  in histology) is sold under various names:
    Eriochrome cyanine R
    Chromoxane cyanine R
    Solochrome cyanine R
  The first of these is perhaps the one most often found in
  chemical catalogues, because this is what analytical chemists
  call it - it's used for spectrophotometric analysis of several
  metals. To be certain you're getting the right stuff, make sure
  the Colour Index number - 43820 - is stated. The CI application
  name, Mordant blue 3, also unequivocally identifies the dye.
    This one is not included in the list of dyes certified by 
  the Biological Stain Commission, so you can't get stuff that
  has been independently tested and certified. It is one of the
  few biological stains that is still used industrially, so it
  is quite cheap. Aside from its histochemical uses, this dye
  is valuable in methods for myelin (discovered by Page, 1965),
  in a blue nuclear stain that resembles an alum-haematoxylin
  but is more acid-resistant (several published methods), and
  in a one-step rapid method that gives a picture somewhat
  similar to H & E. 

 John A. Kiernan,
 Department of Ana