Time Comparison of Routine Microwave Processing vs Vacuum Microwave Processing
Table 1: The Effect of Microwaves/Vacuum on the Sample Processing Times for Electron Microscopy
Processing Step | Routine Microwave Processing 1 | Vacuum Microwave Processing 2 | Routine Processing |
1. Primary Fixation (aldehyde) | .....10 minutes | .....6 minutes | .....1 hour |
2. Buffer Rinse | .....6 minutes | .....4 minutes | .....0.5 hours |
3. Secondary Fixation (osmium) | .....10 minutes | .....6 minutes | .....1 hour |
4. Dehydration (acetone/ethanol) | .....7 minutes | .....7 minutes | .....2 hours |
5. Resin Infiltration | .....50 minutes | .....8 minutes | .....18 hours |
6. Tissue to Embedding Capsules | .....15 minutes | .....15 minutes | .....0.25 hours |
7. Resin Polymerization | .....45-75 minutes | .....45-75 minutes | .....18 hours |
TOTALS | .....~170 minutes | .....~120 minutes | .....~2,400 minutes |
1 Giberson, et al., 1997. J. Vet. Diagn. Invest. 9:61-67. 2 Unpublished work in progress.