Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026

08:52
Paraffin Embedding and Thin Sectioning of Microbial Colony Biofilms for Microscopic Analysis
Published on: March 23, 2018
14.3K
Preparation of slides for microscopy from frozen tissue sections
1Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Methods in Enzymology
|November 5, 2013
Abstract:
Freezing tissue is a convenient method for long-term storage. In addition, sectioning tissue under frozen conditions or embedded within a frozen matrix allows for stabilization of tissue during the sectioning process. This is advantageous for small and/or delicate tissue (e.g., rodent brains younger than postnatal day 7) and tissue that will be sectioned very thin (usually <150 μm).
Related Concept Videos
Fixation and Sectioning
6.0K
Two basic types of preparation are used to visualize specimens with a light microscope: wet mounts and fixed specimens.
The simplest type of preparation is the wet mount, in which the specimen is placed in a drop of liquid on the slide. A liquid specimen can be directly deposited on the slide using a dropper. Solid specimens, such as skin scraping, can be placed on the slide before adding a drop of liquid to prepare the wet mount. Sometimes the liquid is simply water, but stains are often added...
The simplest type of preparation is the wet mount, in which the specimen is placed in a drop of liquid on the slide. A liquid specimen can be directly deposited on the slide using a dropper. Solid specimens, such as skin scraping, can be placed on the slide before adding a drop of liquid to prepare the wet mount. Sometimes the liquid is simply water, but stains are often added...
6.0K
Preparation of Samples for Electron Microscopy
6.6K
To be visualized by an electron microscope, either transmission or scanning, biological samples need to be fixed (stabilized) so the electron beam does not destroy them and dried thoroughly (desiccated/dehydrated) so the vacuum does not affect them. Fixation needs to be done as quickly as possible because the sample properties will start changing as soon as it is removed from its natural environment. For example, in a tissue sample, the oxygen levels begin decreasing, causing an altered...
6.6K

