Epoxy resins do not tolerate water.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. They tolerate water
• D. They partially tolerate water

Answer: (A)

Water presence during curing disrupts the chemical hardening of epoxy resins. Epoxy resins cure by reacting epoxide groups with a hardener (often amines); moisture competes with the hardener and can hydrolyze epoxy rings, reducing crosslinking, creating voids, and leaving tacky, under-cured areas. Because of this, resin embedding protocols emphasize thorough dehydration and dry infiltration to avoid residual water. Therefore, epoxy resins do not tolerate water, making the statement true.