ALBERT'S STAIN 



ALDOLASE 



ligating arteries of supply or by em- 

 ploying fixatives which induce forcible 

 contraction of smooth muscle (Macklin, 

 C. C. and M. T., Chapter on Intestinal 

 Epithelium in Cowdry's Special Cy- 

 tology, N. Y., Hoeber, 1932, 1, 235). 



Albert's Stain for Diphtheria Bacilli, which 

 see. 



Albumen-Glycerin for mounting paraffin 

 sections. Egg white 50 cc, glycerin 

 50 cc, sodium salicylate 1 gm. This is 

 "Mayer's Albumen". Shake together 

 and filter during several days. See 

 also Starch Paste and Masson's Gelatin 

 Glue. 



Alcohol. Unless indicated to the contrary 

 the word "alcohol" as employed in this 

 book refers to the ethyl variety. Alone 

 it is a good fixative preliminary to tests 

 for Amyloid, Copper, Fibrin, Glycogen, 

 Gold, Hemofuscin, Hyaline, Iron, Lead, 

 Palladium, Phosphatase, Potassium 

 and Thallium, which see. It is also 

 employed in the demonstration of Nissl 

 bodies by Gallocyanin, of mucus by 

 Mucicarmine, of proteins by the Ro- 

 mieu Reaction, etc. In combination 

 with other chemicals alcohol is also much 

 used as a fixative, see Alcohol Formalin, 

 Carney's Fluid and many others. 



Alcohol of 70% is a good preservative 

 and celloidin blocks can be stored in it. 

 Absolute alcohol is supposed to contain 

 not more than 1% by weight of water. 

 It is considered to be 100 per cent. A 

 very rough test for absolute alcohol is to 

 mix with it a few drops of turpentine. 

 If it becomes milky it contains too much 

 water. To make a lower per cent from a 

 higher one by dilution take the number 

 of cc. corresponding to the percentage 

 required and add aq. dest. to make in cc. 

 the percentage of the alcohol diluted. 

 Thus to make 30% from 70% take 30 cc. 

 of 70% and add aq. dest. to make 70 cc. 

 Alcohol is the best dehydrating agent 

 for tissues. It is sometimes not easy to 

 purchase absolute alcohol so that it must 

 be prepared. Take say 10 liters of 95% 

 alcohol, add 400 gms. freshly ignited 

 calcium oxide. Leave, with occasional 

 shaking, 24 hrs. until most of the water 

 is absorbed by the oxide. Pour off 

 fluid (leaving oxide at bottom of con- 

 tainer) and distill using appropriate 

 precautions. Keep the "absolute" as 

 nearly so as possible by using a tight 

 glass stopper for the bottle, or in place 

 of the stopper an absorption tube con- 

 taining calcium chloride so that any 

 water in entering air will be absorbed 

 and will not reach the alcohol. See 

 Dehydration, also Amyl, n-Butyl, Ter- 

 tiary Butyl, Isopropyl, n-Propyl and 

 Polyvinyl Alcohols. 



Alcohol -Formal in is a fixative containing 9 

 parts of absolute alcohol and 1 part of 

 formalin. Since it penetrates quickly 

 and dehydration can be commenced in 

 absolute alcohol immediately after fixa- 

 tion, skipping the lower grades of alco- 

 hol, permanent preparations can be 

 made within a few hours' time. For 

 routine purposes 3-6 hrs. fi.xation will 

 suffice but as a preliminary to Micro- 

 incineration 24 hrs. is recommended. 

 Alcohol-formalin is recommended for 

 Fibrin, Glycogen, Indigo-Carmine 

 stains and Peroxidase. It is employed 

 with acetic acid in Bodian's Method 

 for nerve fibers. 



Aldehyde Green (CI, 676a) — Aniline Green, 

 Benzaldehyde Green— a basic dye of 

 light fastness 4, employed as counter- 

 stain for Biebrich Scarlet, Acid Fuch- 

 sin. On xylene and sclerenchyma gives 

 rather brighter shade than Malachite 

 Green (Emig, p. 48). 



Aldehydes. The bound form of aldehyde 

 has been called "plasmalogen". From 

 this the loosely bound "plasmal" form 

 is developed on treatment with mercuric 

 chloride or by acid hydrolysis (the Schiff 

 Reaction for aldehydes). This is the 

 basis of the Feulgen reaction for Thymo- 

 nucleic Acid. According to Oster, K. 

 A. and Oster, J. G., J. Pharmacol, and 

 Exper. Therap., 1946, 87, 306-312, the 

 fuchsin sulphurous acid reagent em- 

 ployed in this reaction when "true" is 

 specific for aldehydes while other car- 

 bonyl compounds sometimes give a 

 "pseudo" reaction. Oster, K. A. and 

 Mulinos, M. G., J. Pharmacol, and 

 Exper. Therap., 1944, 80, 132-138 report 

 that the purple of the "true" reaction 

 can be decolorized with dilute sodium 

 hydroxide and restored with hydro- 

 chloric acid, whereas the reddish tint 

 of the "pseudo" reaction cannot be 

 restored in this way after decoloriza- 

 tion (see Glick p. 65). See Thymo- 

 nucleic Acid (desoxyribonucleic acid) 

 and Carbonyl Compounds. 



Aldolase. Triose phosphate was used as 

 a substrate for the Gomori phosphatase 

 procedure by Allen, R. S. L. and G. J. 

 Bourne, J. Exp. Biol., 1943, 20, 61-64. 

 The phosphate ion liberated by enzymic 

 activity was precipitated in an alkaline 

 medium. The enzyme was not in- 

 hibited by fluoride in concentrations 

 which blocked alkaline phosphatase 

 activity. The pH of the mixture was 

 not stated, but was presumably about 

 9.5. The method was not completely 

 satisfactory because of spontaneous 

 precipitates; nevertheless, concentra- 

 tions of enzyme were noted in striated 

 and cardiac muscle, kidney and liver. 

 Little or none was seen in the lung. 



