Summary
From the evidence discussed it can be concluded that osmium tetroxide (OsO4) would be reduced to black OsO2 (or an equivalent compound) by the ethylene bonds of liquid or solid cis-unsaturated lipids or by the Δ 5-double bond in cholesterol in solid state in tissues. No evidence has been obtained to suggest that OsO4 is either reduced or bound by proteins and polysaccharides in tissue-sections.
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Adams, C.W.M., Abdulla, Y.H. & Bayliss, O.B. Osmium tetroxide as a histochemical and histological reagent. Histochemie 9, 68–77 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00281808
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00281808