Water soluble waxes will infiltrate the tissue directly from aqueous fixatives.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Sometimes
• D. Not applicable

Answer: (B)

This statement is false. Infiltration with embedding wax (paraffin) requires removing water from the tissue because wax is hydrophobic and not miscible with water. After fixation, tissues are dehydrated through graded alcohols to replace water, then cleared with a solvent (like xylene) that is miscible with paraffin. Only after this series of steps can molten paraffin penetrate the tissue. If you try to infiltrate directly from an aqueous fixative, water remains in the tissue, blocking penetration and producing poor, uneven embedding. Water-soluble waxes aren’t used in a way that bypasses dehydration and clearing, so direct infiltration from aqueous fixatives isn’t how embedding works.