White Patches on Slides After Deparaffinization Step

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White Patches on Slides After Deparaffinization Step

Sections should appear clear after the deparaffinization step. If white patches are present, this in an indication that the slides were not completely dried of water and/or deparaffinized.
Possible Causes:
  • Insufficient drying time
  • Insufficient time in deparaffinization solvent (xylene) or solvent substitute
Remedy:
  • Return the slides to the oven or place them in 100% alcohol
  • 2-3 changes of deparaffinization solvent (xylene) or solvent substitute over a period of 10 minutes should be sufficient time to remove all of the paraffin