Mayer's Hemalum Preparation and Recipe

To prepare L  Mayer's Hemalum

Table 1. Recipe

1. Prepare 0.8 L of distilled water in a suitable container.
2. Add 50 g of Aluminum potassium sulfate dodecahydrate to the solution.
3. Add 1 g of Hematoxylin to the solution.
4. Add 0.1 g of Sodium iodate to the solution.
5. Add 0.914 g of Citric acid to the solution.
6. Add 50 g of Chloral hydrate to the solution.
7. Add distilled water until the volume is 1 L.
8. A magnetic stirrer will hasten dissolving of the alum, hematoxylin, and hematein formed by iodate oxidation. To prolong the working lifetime of the stain, this solution is made with only half the quantity of sodium iodate stipulated in Langeron's formulation. Mayer's hemalum often keeps for 1 yr but some batches lose their potency after only a few months. The solution may be reused many times. Some authorities recommend boiling the solution and filtering when it has cooled, but boiling does not seem to be necessary. The function of the chloral hydrate is questionable; some workers simply omit it, and some make up to 1 L with 250-300 mL of glycerol or ethylene glycol.