Editing Plastination (section)

==Process==
[[File:PlastinationProcess EN.svg|thumb|The centerpiece of plastination: "forced impregnation"]]
Four steps are followed in the standard process of plastination: fixation, [[dehydration]], forced impregnation in a [[vacuum]], and hardening.<ref name="hagans1987">{{cite journal |first=Gunther |last=von Hagens |author-link=Gunther von Hagens |author2=Klaus Tiedemann |author3=Wilhelm Kriz |title=The current potential of plastination |journal=Anatomy and Embryology |volume=175 |issue=4 |pages=411–21 |year=1987 |pmid=3555158 |doi=10.1007/BF00309677 |s2cid=21077765 }}</ref> Water and [[lipid]] tissues are replaced by curable polymers, which include [[silicone]], [[epoxy]], and [[polyester]]-[[copolymer]].<ref name=hagans1987/>

The first step of plastination, fixation,<ref name="henry1997">{{cite journal |first=Robert W. |last=Henry |author2=Larry Janick |author3=Francis Paul Salmos |date=February 1997 |title=Specimen preparation for silicone plastination |journal=Journal of the International Society for Plastination |issn=1090-2171 |url=https://www.uqtr.ca/plast-journal/vol12/1_Henry_13a17.pdf |volume=12 |issue=1 |access-date=27 January 2009}}</ref> frequently uses a [[formaldehyde]]-based solution, and serves two functions. Dissecting the specimen to show specific anatomical elements can be time-consuming. Formaldehyde or other preserving solutions help prevent [[decomposition]] of the tissues. They may also confer a degree of rigidity. This can be beneficial in maintaining the shape or arrangement of a specimen. A stomach might be inflated or a leg bent at the knee, for example.

After any necessary [[dissection]]s have taken place, the specimen is placed in a bath of [[acetone]] (freezing point {{convert|-95|°C|°F|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) at {{convert|-20|to|-30|C|F}}. The volume of the bath should be 10 times that of the specimen. The acetone is renewed two times over the course of six weeks. The acetone draws out all the water and replaces it inside the [[Cell (biology)|cells]].<ref name="bickley1987">{{cite journal |first=Harmon C. |last=Bickley |author2=Robert S. Conner, Anna N. Walker and R. Lamar Jackson |date=January 1987 |title=Preservation of tissue by silicone rubber impregnation |url=http://journal.plastination.org/archive/jp_vol.01.1/jp_vol.01.1_030-039.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150624022306/http://journal.plastination.org/archive/jp_vol.01.1/jp_vol.01.1_030-039.pdf |archive-date=24 June 2015|url-status=live |journal=Journal of the International Society for Plastination |issn=1090-2171 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=30–39 |access-date=10 May 2009}}</ref>

In the third step, the specimen is then placed in a bath of liquid polymer, such as [[silicone rubber]], [[polyester]], or [[epoxy resin]]. In a partial [[vacuum]], the acetone is made to boil at a low temperature. As the acetone [[vaporization|vaporizes]] and leaves the cells, it draws the liquid polymer in behind it, leaving a cell filled with liquid plastic.<ref name=bickley1987/>

The plastic must then be cured with gas, heat, or [[ultraviolet light]], to harden it.<ref name=henry1997/>

Specimens, which can vary from a full [[human body]] to a small piece of an animal organ, are known as 'plastinates'.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}} Once plastinated, the specimens and bodies are further manipulated and positioned prior to curing (hardening) of the polymer chains.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}