When root tip sets are fixed in acetic ethanol or squashed in drops of glacial acetic acid at different durations or concentrations, there is often an apparent variation in sizes of chromosomes observed for different root tip sets
I made the observation during my work on Musa paradisiaca, plantain. I noticed that some chromosome micrographs occasionally seem to present larger chromosomes, especially when I play around wit the procedure.
The acetic acid affects the chromosomal bound proteins, in fact histones are very sensitive to acetic acid and can denature under acetic acid treatment. So the less histones associated with your chromosomes, the larger your chromosomes will appear. That being said, the longer that your chromosomes are exposed to acetic acid, the more likely you will start to see a drop in the sharpness of the chromosomal edges, or a peripheral fuzziness.
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