Paraplast^® Family of Tissue Embedding Media

Select from either the original Paraplast, or the newer Paraplast Plus or Paraplast X-tra products.

Three fine products make up the family of Paraplast^® Tissue Embedding Media. All are highly purified paraffins of specific molecular weights and are formulated with varying amounts of special polymers to produce special characteristics. All three formulations section easily but also, do exhibit differing characteristics which might be important for specific tasks. We give guidance on the selection of the right grade but ultimately, most users starting out, seem to have the need to try two or possibly all three formulations and then make some determination as to which is best for them.

Shelf life issues:
Paraplast is a very stable system, both in the bag was well as in the form of an embedded block. The guarantee for Paraplast is for five years, assuming that the product is stored at the recommended storage conditions. Of course, exposure to heat will eventually melt the wax pellets together, but even the fused product is still going to be "good". Exposure to prolonged heat can evaporate off some of the more volatile components of the composition, and in that case, one could expect changes in performance.

There is no particular warranty for Paraplast in the form of a cured block but some histologists report storing blocks for as long as thirty years and find them still well preserved and available, if needed for further study. Accidentally get some hot Paraplast on your good clothes? A hot iron with a paper towel underneath should solve most if not all of the problem. We cannot guarantee this "solution" will work in all instances but it does seem to work in some cases.

Just getting started?
We are often times asked to "recommend" which grade to use and more often than not, our ability to predict is no better than that of our customers. But we find that over all, about 50% of the sales are of the "original" Paraplast, with 25% being for Paraplast Plus and the remaining 25% being for Paraplast X-tra.

Packaging:
1 kg bags packaged 8 bags to the case.

Paraplast^® Tissue Embedding Medium
This is the "original" Paraplast. It is a highly purified paraffin formulated to give outstanding tissue infiltration and superior quality sections. One of the outstanding characteristics of this version is that tissue compression during sectioning is greatly minimized and it cuts to a thickness of 4 µm while still maintaining excellent ribbon continuity with virtually never any crumbling or cracking.

The product comes in a handy pellet form that melts rapidly, with a melting point of 56°C (133°F) (ASTM methods). Unlike some other tissue embedding products, Paraplast is already doubly filtered and there is no need for further filtration prior to use. And clearing is always complete without stainable residue.

Paraplast (original formulation)

Size	SPI #	Each	In Stock
1 kg	02847-AB	$10.00	Yes
Case of 8 1 kg bags Not eligible for flat rate shipping programs	02847A-AB	72.00	Yes

Storage conditions: Room temperature
Non-hazardous from stand point of shipping

Paraplast^® Plus Tissue Embedding Medium

Paraplast Plus is similar to the original Paraplast except that Plus has added to it a low level of dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) for faster tissue penetration. This slight variation in composition typically results in a shortening of infiltration times by one third. It has good sectioning characteristics, producing excellent wrinkle-free sections down to as thin as 4 µm while still maintaining excellent ribbon continuity. For hard tissue samples, this formulation has the tendency to make hard brittle sections into more flexible ribbons.

The product comes in a handy pellet form that melts rapidly, with a melting point of 56°C (133°F) (ASTM methods). Paraplast is already doubly filtered so there is no need for further filtration prior to use. And clearing is always complete without stainable residue.

Paraplast Plus

Size	SPI #	Each	In Stock
1 kg	02846-AB	$11.00	Yes
Case of 8 1 kg bags Not eligible for flat rate shipping programs	02846A-AB	77.00	Yes

Storage conditions: Room temperature
Non-hazardous from stand point of shipping

Paraplast^® X-tra Tissue Embedding Medium

Paraplast X-tra is similar in composition to the original Paraplast except that X-tra has a lower melting point than the other two products (50-54°C/122-129°F) which is advantageous when working with heat sensitive tissue, and the whole phenomenon of "cooking", which can lead to distortion, can be reduced if not eliminated. This product also can be cut into thinner ribbons (2 vs. 4 µm while still maintaining excellent ribbon continuity.

Paraplast is already doubly filtered so there is no need for further filtration prior to use. And clearing is always complete without stainable residue.

Paraplast X-tra

Size	SPI #	Each	In Stock
1 kg	02845-AB	$12.00	Yes
Case of 8 1 kg bags Not eligible for flat rate shipping programs	02845A-AB	83.00	Yes

Storage conditions: Room temperature
Non-hazardous from stand point of shipping

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Paraplast® Family of Tissue Embedding Media

Paraplast^® Family of Tissue Embedding Media