From owner-drosophila@net.bio.net Sun May 14 23:00:00 1995
Path: biosci!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!demon!doc.news.pipex.net!pipex!lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk!mole.bio.cam.ac.uk!flh
From: flh@mole.bio.cam.ac.uk (Frances Hannan (Zoology))
Newsgroups: bionet.drosophila
Subject: toluidine blue destain
Date: 15 May 1995 10:40:12 GMT
Organization: University of Cambridge, England
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Thanks to Michael Blackburn <mbblack@facstaff.wisc.edu> who wrote:

> Try soaking the sections in a solution with a low pH.... say, pH 2.5. I do 
> know that you can manipulate the intensity of toluidine blue staining by 
> fiddling with the pH. Very acidic staining solutions produce light staining, 
> while neutral solutions produce very heavy stain. Good luck

I guess that the pH of my toluidine/borax solution had changed over time
so that I got overstained sections. Soaking for 5min in 0.1M HCl removed
most of the excess stain without affecting tissue morphology. 






-- 
Frances Hannan                                       
BILMS, Zoology, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK   
Phone (0223)336663, FAX (0223)461954                 
flh@mole.bio.cam.ac.uk                               

.