Pollen grains stained in a sequence of osmium (O) and thiocarbohydrazide (T) solutions (collectively known as OTOTO) appear structurally stable and undistorted in the scanning electron microscope (SEM), and usually do not require special drying. In fact, OTOTO can be regarded as another special drying method in palynology. This sequential incubation also strikingly increases the electrical conductivity of pollen grains in the SEM. Compared to standard sputter-coating or vacuum evaporative procedures, OTOTO reduces charging and yields secondary electron images with significantly higher resolution.