John Cichewicz, Michelle Baumgartner, Patrick W. Frank,

Finding efficient ways to plastinate specimens has the potential to increase production capacity and reduce costs, thereby benefiting the learning community. This study focused on human brain tissue due to its delicate structure and high demand in neuroanatomy education. Eleven human brains were sectioned into approximately 5 mm slices in both coronal and transverse planes. Ten specimens were stained using either Le Masurier’s Method (Prussian Blue Reaction) or Alston’s Method, while one specimen remained unstained. Following cold-temperature dehydration (-25°C) in acetone, all specimens were impregnated using a standard cold-temperature silicone mixture at room temperature. Measurements were recorded prior to staining and after the completion of curing. The average shrinkage across all slices was 8.9 ± 4%, and the overall processing time was reduced compared with traditional cold-temperature impregnation protocols. No significant differences in shrinkage were observed based on staining method or plane of section. Additionally, the incorporation of histological staining did not adversely affect the plastination process or the specimens' dimensional stability. These findings suggest that using cold-temperature silicone at room temperature enables more rapid impregnation, likely due to its lower initial viscosity, while maintaining shrinkage rates comparable to those of traditional methods. This supports the concept that early-phase polymer infiltration plays a critical role in minimizing tissue distortion despite time-dependent increases in viscosity. Overall, room-temperature plastination represents a practical, resource-efficient alternative for producing high-quality neuroanatomical teaching specimens.

Ellen H.H. Savoini, Paul E. Smolenyak,

Plastination relies on preserving biological tissues by replacing tissue fluid with a curable polymer. A critical initial step in the plastination process is dehydration, which ensures the complete removal of water content, thereby enhancing the durability and quality of specimens. Acetone is widely favored among dehydrating agents due to its effectiveness in minimizing tissue shrinkage when used under cold conditions, facilitating rapid water displacement, and being easily vaporized and expelled from tissue during the silicone impregnation phase. Acetone's central role in dehydration requires purchasing large quantities as an initial investment. The ability to recover used acetone from the tissue dehydration process dramatically reduces the frequency of additional acetone purchases and the cost of hazardous waste handling. Equipment that can recycle acetone efficiently and effectively accomplish this often exceeds the budget for a start-up laboratory. The techniques described outline a method to achieve the highest purity of acetone with minimal loss, using equipment that is easily accessible in any chemistry laboratory or can be purchased inexpensively. This study focuses on a three-step method for recovering acetone from waste containing fat and organic matter. These steps include vacuum filtration, fractional distillation, and purification.  We applied this method to ten samples of acetone waste recovered after tissue dehydration. Waste acetone purity ranged from 80% to 95%, with varying amounts of fat and organic matter. Final acetone was of laboratory grade with a purity of 99 ±0.1(SE)% with the use of molecular sieves. The distillation apparatus produced almost 1 L of distillate per hour, with a loss of 19 ± 3 mL (SE) from the initial 2000 mL. Our results demonstrate that the process that utilizes all three steps is cost-effective and yields the highest purity of acetone, making it a valuable and sustainable method for plastination laboratories.