Bone Decalcifiers

Decal®

Decal® is a gentle decalcifier formulated from semiconductor grade hydrochloric acid, EDTA, and highly purified reagent grade water. Decal can be used to safely decalcify all types of tissue samples from small needle biopsies to dense cortical bone. It is so mild that most samples can be left in Decal overnight. With Decal, over decalcification is never a worry.

Decal Stat™

Decal Stat™ is a decalcifier which is formulated to work faster than Decal. It can also be used on all types of calcified tissue but is especially popular for use on bone marrow samples. Decal Stat will decalcify the average bone marrow biopsy in less than one hour.Sections will cut more easily and all types of routine and special stains work flawlessly. Cellular and nuclear details remain crisp and clear.

Formical-4™

Formical-4™ is a fixative decalcifier, which means it is a real time saver. Fresh tissue can be placed directly into formical-4 to fix and decalcify simultaneously. It has been formulated for use on large dense samples which normally take several days to decalcify. We have found that, in most cases, poor decalcification is due to poor fixation. Large dense bone usually does not fix properly. As Formical-4 begins to decalcify these large specimens, it allows better penetration of formaldehyde. Therefore, cortical bone, femoral heads,and teeth will not only fix better, they will also decalcify better. With Formical-4, nuclear and cellular detail always remain clean and sharp.

Formical-2000™

Formical-2000™ is a fast yet gentle bone decalcifier that has been formulated from semiconductor grade formic acid, highly purified reagent grade water and EDTA. Formical-2000 should be used with tissue that has been fixed prior to decalcification. Formical-2000 works especially well to decalcify tissue for immunohistochemistry. It will safely decalcify bone without destroying antigen site. Formical-2000 also works well as a general purpose decalcifier for all routine histological specimens.

Immunocal™

Immunocal™ is a very mild formic acid decalcifier. It is formulated from semiconductor grade formic acid and highly purified reagent grade water. As the name suggests, Immunocal should be used when you are decalcifying bone for immunohistochemistry. Since Immunocal will not destroy antigen sites during decalcification, it can safely be used to demonstrate antigens in decalcified bone. Immunocal is a slow gentle decalcifier that yields excellent results with all types of calcified tissue.

Nitrical™

Nitrical™ is a standard AFIP formulation for 5% nitric acid. As with all our decalcifiers, we use semiconductor grade acid and highly purified reagent grade water in Nitrical. It is an excellent product for busy laboratories where time is a critical element. Nitrical works very rapidly. Since it is so effective, we recommend its use only on situations where bone samples can be closely monitored for endpoint. Under those conditions, Nitrical will rapidly yield excellent results.