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PELCO® BioWave Pro Microwave Processor
PELCO® Microwave Vacuum Chamber
Microwave System Accessories

Microwave Processing of Samples
for Electron Microscopy

Time Comparison of Routine Microwave Processing vs Vacuum Microwave Processing

Table 1: The Effect of Microwaves/Vacuum on the Sample Processing Times for Electron Microscopy

Processing Step   Routine Microwave Processing 1  Vacuum Microwave
Processing 2 		Routine Processing
1. Primary Fixation (aldehyde)  .....10 minutes .....6 minutes  .....1 hour
2. Buffer Rinse .....6 minutes .....4 minutes .....0.5 hours
3. Secondary Fixation (osmium) .....10 minutes .....6 minutes  .....1 hour 
4. Dehydration (acetone/ethanol) .....7 minutes  .....7 minutes  .....2 hours
5. Resin Infiltration .....50 minutes  .....8 minutes  .....18 hours 
6. Tissue to Embedding Capsules .....15 minutes  .....15 minutes .....0.25 hours
7. Resin Polymerization .....45-75 minutes  .....45-75 minutes .....18 hours 
TOTALS .....~170 minutes .....~120 minutes  .....~2,400 minutes 

1 Giberson, et al., 1997. J. Vet. Diagn. Invest. 9:61-67. 2 Unpublished work in progress.