Specimen preparation whole mount

Even with the support of a silicon grease plinth, applying too much downward pressure to the specimen is potentially disastrous. Therefore, cleaning the cover glass above a whole-mount preparation requires care. Dust and grease can be removed by dragging a piece of lens tissue, which has been moistened with a drop of 70-100% alcohol, across its surface. 

Nonpermanent preparations A convenient mountant, which also clears delicate whole mounts, it is a mixture of 90% glycerol/0.02% azide in PBS (see Note 1). For fluorescent specimens, 2.5% DABCO (l,4-diazobicyclo-[2.2.2]-octane) can be added to this mixture to prevent fading. Stains that use FITC as a fluorochrome should be mounted in a medium with a pH of at least 8.5. For a more durable preparation, the cover glass can be sealed with nail varnish. 

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