Hello all,
     We have a Leica Coverslipper (which we love), but occasionally we run
into a problem with air bubbles that appear days later, more like too little
mounting media or not wet enough at the start.  We know this is not the
problem.  Each shift checks the mounting media regulator, the coverglass are
premium grade, it can't be the mounting media type because it doesn't happen
sometimes for months, so I'm thinking it must have something to do with the
xylene.  We don't recycle so I have to assume the xylene is pure.  We
dehydrate with 1 95, 4 absolutes, and 4 xylenes, 1 minute each.  We do
process using a xylene substitute, but we had too many complaints from the
pathologists and too many problems with the Immuno's using the substitute in
the staining sequence so we use the xylene substitute for processing only.
I was thinking that perhaps when the stainer was refreshed that someone may
have filled one or more of the dehydrating dishes with xylene substitute
instead of xylene (similar bottles), some dishes being xylene, some
substitute.  Which substitutes are more miscible with xylene if they were to
get mixed, and would those products have to be hauled away or be safe for
sewer disposal?

Thanks for your help!
Ginny Einfalt
geinfalt@virtua.org