NAME: IMNOTJUSTEL
SECTION: :>
PROBLEMS
REMEDY
Slide is too pink
●Dilute eosin
Staining is too light
●Add few drops of glacial acetic acid
Slides are hazy or milky
●Change alcohol solutions
●Re-dehydrate the sections and clear in fresh
xylene
Nuclei is too pale
●Section must be re-stained
White spots
●Incomplete drying: treat with absolute
alcohol, retreat with xylene
●Insufficient xylene exposure: return to xylene,
decolourize, restain
Nuclei is too dark
●If tissue is not too thick, decolourize and
re-stain. If too thick, re-cut
Nuclei appear red/brown
●Check HT oxidation
●Increase blueing step
Pale eosin staining
●Adjust pH with acetic acid
●Remove blueing agent fully
●Avoid thin cuts/over dehydration
Cytoplasm overstained, poor differentiation
●Dilute eosin
●Decrease staining time
●Increase dehydration time
Blue-black precipitate over tissue section
●Filter HT daily before staining
Water bubbles visible
●Remove coverslip/mounting media in xylene,
return to absolute alcohol
●Clear and mount with fresh xylene/mounting
agent
Difficulty focusing on some areas
●Remove coverslip, remount with clean
coverslip
Microscopically, stained/mounted slides do not
show usual transparency and crispness
●Remove coverslip and mounting media with
xylene
●Re-mount section with fresh mounting media
