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Plant Microtechniques and Protocols pp 67–82Cite as

The Glycol Methacrylate Embedding Resins—Technovit 7100 and 8100

Abstract

The glycol methacrylate (GMA) resin is an excellent embedding medium for high resolution light microscopy. Due to the hardness of the resin blocks, thinner sections can be made, allowing for greater resolution than the conventional paraffin sections. The main component of the popular Technovit 7100 (T7100) and Technovit 8100 (T8100) embedding media is GMA. Current formulations of embedding media allow serial sections to be made, especially when using Ralph glass knives in conjunction with a rotary microtome with a retraction return stroke. T7100 is used primarily for histological purposes while T8100 is designed for immunohistochemical (IHC) studies. This chapter details the processing, embedding, and sectioning procedures for the Technovit resins focusing on T7100. In addition, protocols for sectioning using disposable steel knives on a conventional rotary microtome are also included.

Keywords

  • Disposable steel knives
  • Embedding
  • Glass knives
  • Glycol methacrylate
  • Ralph knife
  • Rotary microtome
  • Technovit 7100
  • Technovit 8100

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW., T2N 1N4, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    Edward C. Yeung & Colin K. W. Chan

Authors
  1. Edward C. Yeung
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  2. Colin K. W. Chan
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Correspondence to Edward C. Yeung .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, CALGARY, Alberta, Canada

    Edward Chee Tak Yeung

  2. Department of Plant Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

    Claudio Stasolla

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

    Michael John Sumner

  4. Center for Basic Research in Digestive Disease, Mayo Clinic , Rochester, Minnesota, USA

    Bing Quan Huang

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Yeung, E., Chan, C. (2015). The Glycol Methacrylate Embedding Resins—Technovit 7100 and 8100. In: Yeung, E., Stasolla, C., Sumner, M., Huang, B. (eds) Plant Microtechniques and Protocols. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19944-3_4

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