Water-soluble permanent mountants

Permanent preparations Water-soluble permanent mountants (i.e., which set) usually suffer from shrinkage, which can ruin a specimen. The more viscous they are, the less of a problan this is likely to be. However, viscosity makes the mountant hard to handle. Probably the best aqueous, setting mountant is Gelvatol (Mon-santo)/Mowiol 4-88 (Hoechst), which hardens overnight and can be stored as frozen aliquots (see section 2.4). 

The choice of mountant depends on the solubility characteristics of the colored product. Permanent mountants, such as DPX, are based on organic solvents. If the colored product is soluble in such solvents, then a water-based mountant must be used. Guidance is given for each substrate described. 

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