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Zoology Publications from Victoria University of Wellington—Nos. 42 to 46

A. Dry material

A. Dry material

It is very desirable to know something of the past history of the material to be embedded. This is particularly the case with specimens that have been stored dry such as insects, crabs, spiders, corals, teeth, etc., but may have been subjected to fixation and/or temporary storage in liquid. If the past history of the specimen is not known, dry material is best placed in acetone under vacuum until all the air is removed, and the specimen thoroughly penetrated. If the specimen is large, this may take upwards of an hour utilizing vacuum pressure at 20-minute intervals. The specimen can then be redried or placed in acetone for storage prior to dipping it in the styrine monomer at the next stage in the embedding procedure (see also p. 4 for arthropod material).