Ionic liquids for tissue fixation instead of formalin

In this study 1-methyl-3-octyloxymethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate proved to be a very good tissue fixative. Compared to fixation with formalin, it resulted in comparable quality of preparations. The study confirms the suitability of 1-methyl-3-octyloxymethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate as fixative in histopathological procedures, eliminating the necessity of using formalin. The 1-methyl-3-octyloxymethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate preparations even had a much more intense staining.