Rapid chemical dehydration of samples for electron microscopic examinations

Abstract

Acidified 2,2-dimethoxypropane was used to chemically dehydrate biologic tissues for examination in the electron microscope. The ultrastructural integrities of single-celled algae, plant tissues (cotyledon, root, leaf) and animal tissues (liver, pancreas, muscle, cartilage) were maintained. Our technique was simpler and quicker than physically exchanging water for organic solvents (e.g., acetone, ethanol) as generally performed in microscopy.