CHAPTER 6- EMBALMING CHEMICALS

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EMBALMING I

• CHAPTER 6- EMBALMING CHEMICALS

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Chemical Groups in Embalming Fluids

• There are 8 groups of chemicals used to compose
  the various embalming fluids, they are
• 1. PRESERVATIVES
• 2. GERMICIDES
• 3. MODIFYING AGENTS
• INCLUDING BUFFERS, HUMECTANTS, WATER
  CONDITIONERS, AND INORGANIC SALTS.

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Chemical Groups in Embalming Fluids

• 4. ANTICOAGULANTS
• 5. SURFACTANTS
• 6. DYES
• 7. PERFUMING AGENTS
• 8. VEHICLES

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EMBALMING FLUIDS

• The 8 groups of embalming chemicals are combined
  to make 7 main embalming fluids and accessory and
  supplemental chemicals.
• 1. Preservative arterial fluids
• 2. Pre-injection (primary injection) fluids

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EMBALMING FLUIDS

• 3. Co-injection fluids
• Including anti-dehydrant chemicals,
  water-corrective chemicals, restorative
  chemicals.
• 4. Cavity Fluids
• 5. Arterial Fluids Dyes
• 6. Autopsy Gels
• 7. Cautery Agents

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Disadvantages to using Formaldehyde

• 1. It rapidly coagulates the blood.
• 2. It converts the tissues to a gray hue when it
  mixes with blood not
  removed from the body.
  (Also termed formaldehyde gray.)
• 3. It fixes discolorations.
• 4. It dehydrates the tissues.

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Disadvantages to using Formaldehyde

• 5. It constricts the capillaries.
• 6. It deteriorates with age.
• 7. It can be oxidized to formic acid.
• 8. It can be decomposed to alcohol and formic
  acid in a strong alkaline pH.

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Advantages to using Formaldehyde

• 1. It is inexpensive.
• 2. It inhibits the growth of yeasts and molds.
• 3. It can rapidly destroy autolytic enzymes.
• 4. It rapidly acts on the body proteins and
  converts them to insoluble resins that stop body
  decomposition.

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Advantages to using Formaldehyde

• 5. Only a small percentage of formaldehyde is
  needed to act on a large amount of protein.
• 6. It produces rapid fixation which aids in
  positioning the dead human
  body and also
  indicates that preservation is taking place.
• 7. It deodorizes the body amines formed during
  putrefaction.

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Establishment of Minimum Standards

• Around 1906 was when formaldehyde became a widely
  used ingredient in embalming fluid.
• In the early years they sold it with the water
  already added in half-gallon jugs.
• The formaldehyde was so strong that pre-injection
  and co-injection fluids were developed so offset
  the HCHO.

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Establishment of Minimum Standards

• Embalming fluid is the concentrated chemical
  composition sold by the
  manufacturer.
• Primary dilution is the in-use solution of
  embalming chemicals formed when the concentrated
  embalming fluid is diluted in the tank of the
  embalming machine with water.

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General Chemical Principles of Embalming Fluids

• Among the main chemicals common to almost all
  preservative solutions are HCHO and methyl
  alcohol.
• What varies is
• the pH of the solution
• type of buffer materials used to maintain pH
• grade of formalin used

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General Chemical Principles of Embalming Fluids

• type of alcohol
• wetting agents
• anitclotting agents
• modifers
• physical features such as specific gravity and
  surface tension.
• The chemicals from different companies produce
  different results with different cases.

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Summary of Chemical Components

• Preservatives
• Germicides
• Anticoagulants
• Perfuming Materials
• Surfactants
• Dyes
• Modifying Agents
• Vehicles

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Preservatives

• Purpose- Preservatives are the agents in the
  embalming fluid that cause the proteins to change
  in nature.
• Types
• Formalin- It is the liquid form of HCHO. It
  contains methyl alcohol which helps stabilize the
  HCHO so that it wont settle to the bottom and
  become paraformaldehyde.

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Preservatives

• Paraformaldehyde- is a white powdery form of
  formaldehyde used in hardening
  compounds.
• The word index refers to the amount of
  formaldehyde gas present. It is NOT a total
  measure of the total aldehyde concentration
  present.
• Formaldehyde- is a colorless gas with a pungent
  odor.
• It is very soluble in water.

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Preservatives

• It is extremely reactive.
• It is a very powerful germicide.
• It acts quickly on the area it comes in contact
  with.
• Trioxane- is a polymer of HCHO. It is colorless
  and has a better odor. It is very expensive to
  use so it is not used extensively.

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Preservatives

• Other Aldehydes Include Acetaldehyde, and
  Pyrivic Aldehyde.
• The important requirement of aldehydes is that is
  possess denaturing and crosslinking properties
  that enable it to produce firming effect on
  tissue.
• Condensation Products-(AKA HCHO donor compound,
  HCHO Reaction Products).
• They exhibit an acid pH and need the alkali
  catalyst to release the HCHO.

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Preservatives

• The disadvantage to the condensation products is
  that they have a slow reaction
  rate and are very expensive.
• Dialdehydes- two aldehyde groups in the molecule.
• Glyoxal- tend to stain tissue yellow. It is used
  primarily in cavity fluid especially because its
  optimal pH range of activity is about 9 to 10.
• Glutaradlehyde- Has a mild odor and a light
  color. It is a liquid.

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Preservatives

• It is capable of reacting with protein structures
  over a wide pH range.
• It is a more effective disinfectant than HCHO.
• Methanol (Methyl Alcohol)-Excellent preservative
  that destroys many organisms.
• A good solvent for other chemicals not readily
  soluble in water alone.
• Penetrates the tissue well and can show some
  bleaching action.

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Preservatives

• Is a stabilizer of HCHO. (Prevents it from
  changing to paraHCHO.)
• Serves as a vehicle for other ingredients of the
  formulation.
• It is more toxic to bacteria than grain alcohol.
• Phenol (Carbolic Acid)- Mostly used in cavity
  fluid.
• A coal-tar derivative that is a colorless
  crystalline solid.

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Preservatives

• It is a good germicide.
• Over use of it causes putty gray tissues.
• Phenols are not water soluble.
• Quaternary Ammonium Compounds-Used for their
  germicidal and deodorizing qualities.
• Used mostly in cavity fluid.
• Other types of preservatives are salts and
  germicides.

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Preservatives

• When used- preservatives will be used on every
  case regardless of the condition of the body.
• Regardless of the conditions of the tissue and
  the body you will always use a type of
  preservative to Preserve The Tissue.
• Please remember this one bit of information!!!!

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Germicides

• Purpose- To kill microorganisms or to render them
  inactive.
• Types
• Phenol
• Glutaraldehyde
• When to use
• In arterial, some coinjection, and cavity fluids,
  and surface disinfectants.

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Modifying Agents

• Purpose- They control the rate of action of the
  main preservative ingredients of embalming
  formulations.
• Types
• Buffers- agents that serve to control the
  acid-base balance
  of fluid and tissues.
• Can act as water conditioners and anticoagulants.

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Modifying Agents

• What condition would buffers be important for?
• Humectants- Agents that help to control tissue
  moisture balance.
• Glycerin- is synthetically from petroleum
  products.
• Glycerin also increases the germ-killing power of
  other chemicals. (because it makes them stick
  better)

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Modifying Agents

• Inorganic Salts- act as buffers, anticoagulants,
  preservatives, germicides, and water
  conditioners.
• They have the ability to control osmotic
  qualities.
• Under what circumstances would we use inorganic
  salts?

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Modifying Agents

• Water Conditioners- Known as water softeners or
  water conditioner.
• Serves 4 purposes
• Aid to improve drainage by keeping blood in a
  liquid state.
• Make is possible for the arterial fluid to
  function under better conditions.
• Makes the dyes work better under alkaline
  conditions.
• Most aldehydes function better as fixative or
  firming agents under slightly alkaline
  conditions.

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Anticoagulants

• Purpose- Used to maintain blood in a liquid state
  and thereby make it easy to remove from the
  circulatory system.
• Types
• Citrates, phosphates, oxalates, borates, and
  EDTA.
• Also make is possible for the arterial fluid to
  function under better conditions.

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Anticoagulants

• Citrates- white, odorless crystalline or granular
  material often used for an anticoagulant and its
  water conditioning properties in embalming fluid.
• Oxalates- white powder not used as extensively as
  the citrates.
• Borates- Stabilizes HCHO and prevents or reduces
  coagulation.

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Anticoagulants

• EDTA- prevents blood coagulation and also removes
  hardness chemicals from the water supply.
• When Used
• The blood tends to clot easier when the deceased
  had pneumonia.
• The volume of circulating blood decreases when
  high fever precedes death.

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Anticoagulants

• The blood becomes more viscous and clots more
  readily after circulation stops.
• It goes without saying that no circulation is
  going to lead to additional problems and
  untreated/unpreserved tissues.

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Surfactants

• Purpose- It promotes diffusion of the
  preservative elements through the capillary walls
  to saturate the tissues uniformly.
• Capillary attraction, or the force that attracts
  and holds liquid in the capillary tubes is the
  result of surface tension.

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Surfactants

• Surfactants aid or cause the embalming solution
  to flow more readily and rapidly through the
  capillaries so that ALL of the millions of tissue
  cells are literally bathed by the embalming
  fluid.
• By reducing capillary attraction of blood and
  body liquids, surfactant cause the almost
  immediate clearing of blood from the capillaries.

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Surfactants

• Surfactants incorporate coloring agents into the
  solution and obtain a normal appearance
  internally.
• Surface Tension and Embalming Solutions-
• The lower the surface tension value, the faster
  the rate of penetration by the liquid substance.

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Surfactants

• Surfactants increase the germicidal activity of
  chemical solutions.
• Surfactants function best in very low
  concentrations.
• Too much surfactant will cause excessive drainage
  as well as over saturation of tissue.
  (Over-embalmed/Under-embalmed tissues?)
• Types- sulfonated oils, ployethylene glycol
  ethers.

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Surfactants

• When used-
• in all cases, its in the embalming fluid already.

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Dyes

• Purpose- To produce an internal cosmetic effect
  that closely simulates the natural coloring of
  the tissues.
• Types
• Active dyes- color tissue
• Inactive dyes- only color the fluid in the
  bottle.
• Eosin, erythrosine, ponceau...

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Dyes

• When would we want to add a dye to the embalming
  fluid?
• When would we not want to add dye to the
  embalming fluid?

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Reodorants (Perfuming and Masking Agents)

• Purpose- to enhance the odor of the embalming
  solution.
• Types- wisteria, rose, and lilac oils and
  aromatic esters and wintergreen.
• Remember that any attempt to mask HCHO generally
  results in neutralization or destruction of the
  active chemicals.
• When used- in most embalming fluids.

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Vehicles (Diluents)

• Purpose- serves as the solvent for the many
  ingredients incorporated into an embalming fluid.
  It can also provide some stability to the
  formulation.
• Types- gylcerine, sorbitol, glycol or alcohol.
• What is the most common vehicle for embalming
  fluid?
• When used- they must be used with every ordinary
  embalming fluid.