Should slides dry before pertex mounting or not? - (Jul/21/2008 )

Can someone help me, I'm new to IHC. I get so many air-bubbles when I mount my coverslip and was wondering if I should have dried the slides after xylol or not. What is recommended?

-kenzo-

I don't dry the slides...

may be your histomount is old...get a new bottle

-Minnie Mouse-

I get lots of airbubbles too. This is what I've been told to do. Don't dry the coverslip, but slowly lay it down from one side.

-Michelle4-

we used xylene and dpx (still do) is that the same?

if so...

keep em a little wet - it helps the dpx spread (and enter the tissue)

also dont let the dpx suck back into the dropper/pippette it takes air in with it - hence air bubbles

michelle is right too - place the coverslip on the slide so one end is in full contact and the other is held up by some curved tip tweezers - then lower down and the wave it creates pushes out air bubbles

dom

i really need to learn to spell (or type)

-Dominic-

OK, thanks for the tips!

-kenzo-

QUOTE (kenzo @ Jul 21 2008, 01:56 PM)

Can someone help me, I'm new to IHC. I get so many air-bubbles when I mount my coverslip and was wondering if I should have dried the slides after xylol or not. What is recommended?

After we dry the sections, take a cover slip and place it flat. place a drop of mounting media. take your slide and place it on the coverslip slowly, so that the mounting media drop touches the slide. Then gently lower it a little bit. Now what happens is you will create a capillary effect and the coverslip will stick to the slide and mounting media spreads out evenly without any bubbles. Now turn the slide and place it flat.

-scolix-

that works too - depends on the lab you started in i suppose

-Dominic-