Corrosion Casting Kits
Use these novel kits for characterizing the vasculature of a wide range of different organs
Introduction:
Corrosion casting systems have been used for characterizing the vasculature of organs for some number of
years by injecting the liquid monomer into the living organ. Historically there have been two such kits
available to the researcher: Mercox corrosion casting kit and Batson's #17 Anatomical Corrosion Casting kit.
In both cases, the low viscosity of the modified acrylic resin yields "clean" specimens, providing high replication
accuracy. The Mercox kits are available with the same resin but one being clear, and also, blue and red, for
viewing fine structures by light microscopy. For the Batson's #17 kit, five different colors are available,
but the colorant is added to the clear resin instead of there being a separate kit for each color.
For SEM examination, of course, the color would not make any difference. Therefore, for Mercox, we would
recommend the "clear" formulation and for Batson's #17 we would recommend use of the kit without any
colorant. We have never seen evidence that the colorant reduced resolution in the final cast, but
some researchers have suggested it might make a difference. So since the color adds nothing of value
for an SEM examination anyhow our best advice is to stick to the clear formulations (without colorant)
for SEM work.
Mercox vs. Batson's #17: Which one to use?
This is the most commonly asked question. From our perspective, it might be more a matter of
personal preference. Some researchers tell us that Mercox has a slightly lower viscosity and slightly
lower shrinkage. On the other hand, Batson's #17 is more convenient to use because one need stock only
one basic kit (which is clear to begin with) and then add the appropriate colorant depending on what
kind of work is being done.
But as luck would have it, as of mid-2006, the manufacturer of Mercox has discontinued its production.
We know that this is disappointing to many researchers who have been using Mercox and who are not keen
to switch, mid-steam, to a different system. However, we feel quite confident that anyone who has been
using Mercox, perhaps with some slight adjustments in protocol, would be able to obtain substantially
comparable results using the Batson's #17 kit.
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Monday May 21, 2012
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