CitiFluor™ AF2, Mounting Medium

Description

Storage and Shelf-Life

AF2 solutions may be stored at room temperature and ideally between 5° and 15°C and out of strong sunlight. The cap of the bottle (or if using the pipette supplied with the material, the cap which covers the pipette delivery point) should always be replaced after use as a matter of good practice. Samples stored under these conditions for 6 months have shown no apparent deterioration. If the AF2 solution is being used in an assay, a control experiment should always be carried out.

Usage and Useful Tips

In some cases, the reduction in the rate of photobleaching may be accompanied by a reduction in the initial intensity of the fluorescence signal. By diluting the AF2 solution with glycerol the reduction in the intensity of the fluorescence signal can oftentimes be mitigated.

If the viscosity of the AF2 solution is too high for your purpose, it may be reduced by the addition of either AF1 or AF3 solutions, which will decrease its refractive index.

AF2 mountant is ideal for examining tissue sections and dead cells. An aqueous solution (75% AF2 to 25% water v/v) has a pH of ~10. The solution should be pipetted onto the specimen and then a cover slip applied. If the slides are stored in a refrigerator, the viscosity of the mountant solution increases thereby helping to keep the cover slip in place. There is no need to seal the cover slip with nail varnish.

AF2 has also been used to create a hardening formulation by adding it (~ 20% by volume) to an aqueous solution of poly(vinyl alcohol) e.g. Airvol 203 or Mowiol 4-88. This solution is best used soon after it is prepared as it doesn’t have a long shelf-life.

Obtaining the correct viscosity for your application

If the viscosity of the AF2 solution is too high for your purposes, it may be admixed with either AF1 or AF3 mountant solution. As the amount of AF1 or AF3 solution is increased so the viscosity decreases.

For more information please see our Info-Box.