VACUUM

Classified A b s t r a c t s

IV Special S u b s i d i a r y S u b j e c t s - - IV Ahstrae*
and ~o.
References
Contd.

t e m p e r a t u r e of - - 3 0 to --50C is c h o s e n as ultra-low t e m p e r a t u r e desiccation w o u l d t a k e a n i n c o n v e n i e n t l y

long t i m e . T h r e e designs of tissue d r y e r are described a n d t h e close p r o x i m i t y required b e t w e e n t h e e v a p o r a t i n g
a n d c o n d e n s i n g surfaces is e m p h a s i s e d . E m b e d d i n g in paraffin w a x m a y be a c c o m p l i s h e d either inside or outside
t h e d r y e r i m m e d i a t e l y after desiccation a n d sections m a y be c u t f r o m t h e paraffin block in t h e u s u a l way.
H o w e v e r , b e c a u s e t h e tissue h a s n o t been fixed, t h e n o r m a l p r o c e d u r e after sectioning h a s to be modified a n d
r e a g e n t s u s e d w h i c h r e n d e r t h e c o n s t i t u e n t s insoluble w i t h o u t altering t h e s t r u c t u r e . O f t e n t h e s e solutions
are a n a l y s e d after u s e to see w h a t t h e y h a v e e x t r a c t e d f r o m t h e tissue. If it is n o t possible to build or c o n s t r u c t
a tissue freeze dryer, it is possible to e n j o y s o m e of t h e a d v a n t a g e s of frozen a n d dried t i s s u e s b y freezing t h e Article by
L. G. E. Boll
m a t e r i a l as described a n d t h e n e x t r a c t i n g t h e w a t e r b y w a s h i n g in m e t h y l alcohol a t --60C. Cold d r y nitrogen Lab. Practice
m a y also be p a s s e d over t h e frozen tissue to effect drying. A r t e r y a n d bone g r a f t i n g m a t e r i a l is freeze-dried in 5, April 1956
vitro. T h i s is u s e d b y t h e s u r g e o n to fill g a p s in bones or arteries to guide t h e g r o w t h of n e w tissue into t h e wound. 139.142

Improved Freeze-Drying and Embedding Apparatus for Frozen Tissues 35/iv

United States. T h e a p p a r a t u s consists of a n e v a c u a t e d d r y i n g t u b e i m m e r s e d in a solid COn-alcohol m i x t u r e .
A l t h o u g h a m e c h a n i c a l fore p u m p would p r o d u c e a sufficiently low v a c u u m in t h i s tube, a diffusion p u m p a n d
m e c h a n i c a l b a c k i n g p u m p c o m b i n a t i o n is u s e d to got a r a p i d p u m p d o w n a n d h i g h e r speeds a t 1 10 -4 ram. Hg.
A central stainless steel rod in t h e d r y i n g t u b e s u p p o r t s a cup, a t its lower end, filled w i t h e m b e d d i n g w a x
w h i c h h a s been p r e v i o u s l y o u t g a s s e d for a n hour, while m o l t e n , u n d e r t h e v a c u u m of t h e m e c h a n i c a l fore p u m p .
I m m e r s e d in t h i s w a x are a h e a t e r a n d t h e r m o c o u p l e . T h e tissue sections, w h i c h h a v e been p r e v i o u s l y frozen in
i s o p e n t a n e cooled b y liquid nitrogen, are placed in a~r i n c h wide b y -i~ i n c h h i g h b a s k e t s r e s t i n g on this wax.
D r y i n g is effected b y a p p l y i n g h e a t f r o m t h e h e a t e r in t h e parafin w a x and, at t h e e n d of drying, t h e Variac
c o n t r o l to t h e h e a t e r is t u r n e d u p to m e l t t h e w a x a n d e m b e d t h e sample. A Teflon insert in t h e s u p p o r t t u b e al-
lows certain flexibility in t h e d r y i n g h e a d w h e n it is being placed in t h e d r y i n g t u b e a n d also t h e r m a l l y i n s u l a t e s Article by
t h e h e a d f r o m c o n d u c t i o n d o w n t h e s u p p o r t tube. Baffles m o u n t e d on t h e s u p p o r t t u b e direct t h e w a t e r v a p o u r E. W. Emmavt &
L. R. Crisp
to t h e cooled walls a n d t h u s p r o t e c t t h e p u m p i n g s y s t e m f r o m c o n t a m i n a t i o n . T w o Pirani g a u g e h e a d s are Rev. Sci. Instrum.
fitted to t h e unit, one n e a r t h e m e c h a n i c a l p u m p a n d t h e o t h e r n e a r t h e tissue. T h e difference b e t w e e n t h e 27, May 1956
r e a d i n g s of t h e s e c a n be t a k e n as a n indication of t h e progress of t h e early stages of drying. 315-318

A Simple Apparatus for Freeze Drying Historical Specimens 36/iv

Australia. T h e c o n s t r u c t i o n a n d o p e r a t i o n of a simple a p p a r a t u s for freezing-drying historical s p e c i m e n s is
described. T h e a p p a r a t u s , w h i c h is c o n s t r u c t e d f r o m m a t e r i a l s readily available in m o s t laboratories, requires Article by
n e i t h e r elaborate p u m p i n g e q u i p m e n t n o r v a p o u r traps, for t h e w a t e r molecules e m a n a t i n g f r o m t h e s p e c i m e n s H. Kramer &
R. G. Hill
a r e carried a w a y b y a s t r e a m of d r y gas. B y t h i s m e a n s s p e c i m e n s c a n be dried f r o m a lower t e m p e r a t u r e in Guard. J.
a t i m e considerably s h o r t e r t h a n is possible w i t h t h e m o r e c o m p l i c a t e d a n d costly freezing-drying a p p a r a t u s M icrosc. Sci.
u s u a l l y used. 97, Sept. 1956
(Authors.) 313-317

An Experimental Comparison of Freeze-Dried and Frozen Cortical Bone-Graft Healing 37/IV

See A b s t r a c t No.: 170/I

Freeze-Drying V. Freeze Drying as a Large-Scale Operation 38/iv

United Kingdom. Freeze d r y i n g provides a t e c h n i q u e for p r e s e r v i n g biological m a t e r i a l s w h i c h enables t h e m to
be d i s t r i b u t e d b y n o r m a l m e t h o d s of t r a n s p o r t a n d stored for long period w i t h o u t deterioration. I t h a s been
e x t e n s i v e l y used for blood p l a s m a a n d s e r u m a n d m a k e s t r a n s f u s i o n possible at places a long d i s t a n c e f r o m
t h e blood b a n k . T r a n s f u s i o n m a t e r i a l s are best dried in t h e bottles in w h i c h t h e y will be used. T h e s e are u s u a l l y
of half to one litre capacity. O t h e r m a t e r i a l s are dried in s m a l l q u a n t i t i e s , in a m p o u l e s , a n d special p l a n t h a s
b e e n developed to h a n d l e these. Blood p l a s m a w a s first dried on a large scale in t h i s c o u n t r y in a plant,
designed b y Greaves, w h i c h differs little f r o m its m o d e r n c o u n t e r p a r t s . I n this, 400 c.c. blood p l a s m a are filled
into a t r a n s f u s i o n bottle a n d a p o r o u s cap fitted to m a i n t a i n sterility d u r i n g d r y i n g b u t p e r m i t t i n g t h e escape
of w a t e r v a p o u r . T h e bottle is t h e n left in a cold r o o m to cool to 4C a n d t h e n s p u n - f r o z e n b y t h e vertical
spin-freezing m e t h o d of Greaves. As a n a l t e r n a t i v e to t h i s procedure, shell freezing in a cold liquid b a t h or
vertical spin-freezing u s i n g a liquid coolant m a y be employed. T h e bottles, after freezing, are t r a n s f e r r e d to
t h e d r y i n g c h a m b e r . T h i s c a n t a k e m a n y forms, b u t a m e c h a n i c a l l y refrigerated c o n d e n s e r is n o r m a l l y e m p l o y e d
t o g e t h e r w i t h a r o t a r y v a c u u m p u m p for r o u g h i n g a n d either a diffusion a n d r o t a r y p u m p c o m b i n a t i o n or a
s m a l l e r r o t a r y p u m p for h o l d i n g t h e v a c u u m . S t e a m ejector p u m p s are n o t economic unless c h e a p process
s t e a m is avilable. Electrically h e a t e d c a n s a r o u n d t h e bottles u s u a l l y provide t h e h e a t of evaporation, b u t w a t e r
h e a t i n g h a s been used in A m e r i c a a n d w a t e r v a p o u r h e a t i n g in a manifold d r y e r in Holland. After t h i s p r i m a r y
drying, d u r i n g w h i c h 98% of t h e w a t e r is r e m o v e d , t h e b o t t l e s are v a c u u m dried a t r o o m t e m p e r a t u r e over P~O 5
a n d t h e n v a c u u m - p a c k e d a t a m o i s t u r e content, well below 1% of t h e d r y weight. T h i s d r y i n g p r o c e d u r e
is described fully w i t h reference to t h e p l a s m a d r y e r d u e to K e k w i c k (1945) a n d c o n s t r u c t e d b y J. &. Hall
L i m i t e d . A m p o u l e d r y i n g c a n be u n d e r t a k e n in a similar desiccator to p l a s m a drying, b u t t h e d r y i n g h e a d
m u s t be a d a p t e d to t a k e a v e r y large n u m b e r of s m a l l containers. T h e s e c o n t a i n e r s are frozen b y self-evapora-
tion, u s i n g c e n t r i f u g i n g to p r e v e n t frothing, or b y circulating a cold liquid t h r o u g h t h e plates on w h i c h t h e y Article by
L. Vallet
s t a n d . T h e h e a t for e v a p o r a t i o n m a y be p r o v i d e d b y p a s s i n g w a r m e d liquids t h r o u g h t h e t r a y s or b y electrical Lab. Practice
r a d i a n t - h e a t i n g . S e c o n d a r y d r y i n g over P205 is also used for complete d r y i n g of t h e s e materials. Finally, 5, May 1956
m e n t i o n is m a d e of t h e d r y i n g of fibrinogen f o a m in bulk. 169-173

October, 1956 Vacuum 303

Vo1. VI