Ethanol glacial acetic acid fixative solution is a commonly used fixative solution in histology and cytology. It is used to preserve and stabilize tissue specimens to maintain their structure and morphology during subsequent processing and analysis. The solution consists of a mixture of ethanol and glacial acetic acid in varying ratios, depending on the specific requirements of the specimen and the desired staining properties.

Ethanol is an alcohol that acts as a dehydrating agent and fixative by denaturing cellular proteins and lipids and stabilizing covalent bonds. Glacial acetic acid is a concentrated, anhydrous form of acetic acid that also helps denature proteins and fix nucleic acids.

The combination of ethanol and glacial acetic acid in the fixative solution results in rapid and effective fixation of tissue samples while preserving cellular structures and morphological features. The ethanol-glacial acetic acid fixative solution is especially used for the fixation of cellular specimens such as cell smears or cytological specimens, as it provides good morphological preservation and clear staining of cell structures.

Some applications of this fixative solution are the examination of cell structures, cytodiagnostics or staining of histological and cytological specimens.