Technique
According to SynapseWeb, this is the recipe for Golgi's staining technique:
- Immerse a block (approx. 10x5 mm) of formol-fixed (or paraformaldehyde- glutaraldehyde-perfused) brain tissue into a 2% aqueous solution of potassium dichromate for 2 days
- Dry the block shortly with filter paper.
- Immerse the block into a 2% aqueous solution of silver nitrate for another 2 days.
- Cut sections approx. 20-100 µm thick.
- Dehydrate quickly in ethanol, clear and mount (e.g., into Depex or Enthalan).
This technique has since been refined to substitute the silver precipitate with gold by immersing the sample in gold chloride then oxalic acid, followed by removal of the silver by sodium thiosulphate. This preserves a greater degree of fine structure with the ultrastructural details marked by small particles of gold.
Read more about this topic: Golgi's Method
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“In love as in art, good technique helps.”
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—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)