Stock Solution
Zenker is usually made with 50g of Mercuric chloride, 25g of Potassium dichromate, 10g of Sodium sulfate (decahydrate) and distilled water to complete 1000 ml.
Before use, 5 ml glacial acetic acid is added to 100 ml of the solution. Both the stock solution and the complete Zenker fixative are stable for many years.
If the glacial acetic acid is replaced by 5 ml of formalin (37–40% formaldehyde)), the resulting solution is Helly's fixative, also sometimes called "formol-Zenker". Helly is stable for only a few hours because the formaldehyde and dichromate components react, producing formic acid and chromic ions; the orange solution becomes greenish.
Read more about this topic: Zenker's Fixative
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