Summary
The effect of short time heating of aqueous solutions of glutaraldehyde (GA) on relative aldehyde concentration was determined using spectrophotometric analysis. Because free monomeric GA absorbs U. V. light at 280 nm, whereas the alpha, beta polymeric forms absorb at 235 nm, the purity of GA solutions can be expressed as the ratio: A 235 nm/A 280 nm (purification index, P.I.).
Heating of 4 ml aliquots of 0.85% distilled aqueous GA solution resulted in an increase of the absorption at 280 nm which is correlated positively with temperature. No increase of absorption at 235 nm was found when solutions were kept at 40°C for several hours. The increase of absorption at 280 nm is caused by a rapid decyclization of hemiacetals producing an increase in free aldehyde concentration.
No major differences in absorption were found between the solutions heated by microwave and by conventional heating. However, because microwave irradiation is known to produce an homogeneous rise in temperature, especially in bulky samples, it is expected that the results of fixation procedures will improve by the combined effect of higher temperature and enhanced diffusion rates of the fixating species.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Boon, M. E. &Kok, L. P. (1987)Microwave Cookbook of Pathology: The Art of Microscopic Visualization. Leiden: Coulomb Press Leyden.
Frigerio, N. A. &Shaw, M. J. (1969) A simple method for determinaion of glutaraldehyde.J. Histochem. Cytochem. 17, 176–81.
Gillet, R. &Gull, K. (1972) Glutaraldehyde — its purity and stability.Histochemie. 30, 162–7.
Halloway, C. E. &Dean, F. H. (1975).J. Pharmac. Sci. 64, 1078.
Hayat, M. A. (1981)Fixation for Electron microscopy. New York: Academic Press.
Hopwood, D. (1967) Some aspects of fixation with glutaraldehyde: A biochemical and histochemical comparison of the effects of formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde on various enzymes and glycogen with a note penetration of glutaraldehyde into liver.J. Anat. 101, 83–92.
Hopwood, D. (1972) Theoretical and practical aspects of glutaraldehyde fixation.Histochem. J. 4, 267–303.
Johannessen, J. v. (1978)Electron microscopy in Human Medicine, Vol. 1., New York: McGraw-Hill.
Korn, A. H., Feairheller, S. H. &Filachione, E. M. (1972) Glutaraldehyde: nature of the reagent.J. mol. Biol. 65, 525–9.
MocDowell, E. M. &Trump, B. F. (1976) Histologic fixatives suitable for diagnostic light and electron microscopy.Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. 100, 405.
Nimni, M. E., Cheung, D., Strates, B., Kodama, M. &Sheikh, K. (1987) Chemically modified collagen: a natural biomaterial for tissue replacement.J. Biomed. Mat. Res. 21, 741–71.
Rasmussen, K. A. &Albrechtsen, J. (1974) Glutaraldehyde. The influence of pH, temperature and buffering on the polymerization rate.Histochem. 38, 19–26.
Tashima, T., Kawakami, U., Harada, M., Sakata, T., Satoh, M., Nakagawa, T. &Tanaka, H. (1987) Isolation and identification of new oligomers in aqueous solution of glutaraldehyde.Chem. Pharm. Bull. 35, 4169–80.
Whipple, E. B. &Ruta, M. (1974) Structure of aqueous glutaraldehyde.J. Org. Chem. 39, 1666.
Woodroof, E. A. (1978) Use of glutaradehyde and formaldehyde to process tissue heart valves.J. Bioeng. 2, 1–9.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ruijgrok, J.M., Boon, M.E. & De Wijn, J.R. The effect of heating by microwave irradiation and by conventional heating on the aldehyde concentration in aqueous glutaraldehyde solutions. Histochem J 22, 389–393 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01003175
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01003175