What is Acetolysis in chemistry?

Filters. (organic chemistry) The breakdown of an organic compound using either acetic acid or acetic anhydride.

What does acetolysis seek to achieve?

Acetolysis is the best technique for recovering pollen because any tissue is dissolved and lipids and debris are removed from the sample and the pollen grains. This makes the diagnostic characteristics of the pollen grains more visible so that accurate pollen identification can be made.

How do you make a pollen sample?

Prepare a large beaker containing a saturated solution of sodium carbonate (which neutralises HF) in the fume cupboard. Add 30 ml of 40% HF and place in the water bath for 1 hour. Stir twice every 20 mins using a plastic pipette. After this time put caps on tubes, centrifuge and decant.

What do you mean by pollen viability?

Pollen viability is the ability of pollen to effect fertilization and consequent development of fruit and seed; therefore fruit set and seed set form the most authentic test for pollen viability.

Is acetic anhydride?

Acetic anhydride, or ethanoic anhydride, is the chemical compound with the formula (CH3CO)2O. Commonly abbreviated ac2O, it is the simplest isolable anhydride of a carboxylic acid and is widely used as a reagent in organic synthesis.

Where is Sporopollenin found?

Sporopollenin is a lipid- and phenolic-based polymer present in the outer exine layer of pollen walls (Morant et al., 2007).

What is meant by palynology?

Palynology is the study of plant pollen, spores and certain microscopic plankton organisms (collectively termed palynomorphs) in both living and fossil form. Melissopalynology is the study of pollen in honey, with the purpose of identifying the source plants used by bees in the production of honey.

How do you make a pollen slide?

Procedure

1. Add two drops of glycerol on to a clean slide.
2. Add a small sample of the pollen (this can also be done by tapping the anther to obtain the pollen)
3. Gently place the cover slip on the to sample at an angle to remove air bubbles.
4. Nail polish can be used on the sides for the purposes of sealing.

What is pollen viability with example?

Pollen viability refers to the ability of the pollen to perform its function of delivering male gametes to the embryo sac. This functional property of the pollen after their release from the anther varies greatly from species to species and its quality is assessed on the basis of its viability.

How is pollen viability calculated?

The pollen viability was scored according to staining level (pollen with bold red colour as viable and colourless as nonviable). The percentage of pollen viability was determined as the ratio of the number of viable grains to the total grains number. In vitro germination was assessed with the hanging drop method [14].

What kind of mixture is used for acetolysis?

Acetolysis is generally carried out in a mixture of acetic anhydride, acetic acid, and sulfuric acid.157 Under such conditions (1-6)-linkages between pyranosidic ring forms are preferably cleaved. Typical examples have been reported for dextrans and for yeast mannans, 142 as is shown for the acetolysis of a highly branched mannan

Which is more efficient acetolysis or dry ashing?

Acetolysis method provides an efficient and quick procedure for phytolith extraction. Temperature and time are key variables in phytolith extraction by acetolysis. Acetolysis is more efficient than dry ashing and quicker than wet ashing methods.

When was acetolysis first used in pollen analysis?

Since the acetolysis method was introduced by Erdtman, 1952, Erdtman, 1960, it has been extensively used in pollen analysis with light and electron microscopes.

Which is an example of acetolysis of A Mannan?

Typical examples have been reported for dextrans and for yeast mannans, 142 as is shown for the acetolysis of a highly branched mannan yielding peracetylated Man (α1-2)Man and Man (α1-2)Man (α1-2)Man, and after de-O-acetylation the free oligosaccharides.