A removable polar embedding medium for light microscopy.

A new plastic embedding medium for light microscopy is described. The monomer mixture consists of equal proportions by volume of acrylonitrile, dimethyl acrylamide and methyl methacrylate, and may be polymerized by exposure to ultraviolet light in the presence of benzoin methyl ether as catalyst. Dithiothreitol may also be added to the monomer mix to limit the degree of polymerization. The resulting polymer is soluble in dimethyl formamide.