Abstract

The localization of elements in cells and tissues by electron spectroscopic imaging (ESI) or electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) can be realized only in very thin specimens in order to avoid multiple scattering of the electrons. Therefore the biological material has to be cut in thin 30 nm sections.The commonly used preparation procedure is a hydrous chemical fixation followed by dehydration, embedding in hydrophobic resin and ultrathin sectioning. The disadvantage of this procedure is the loss and/or dislocation of inorganic ions and other water-soluble substances. To overcome these difficulties the preferable preparation method is cryofixation in combination with cryosubstitution, but this is a very expensive and time-wasting procedure.Meanwhile, we established a more simplified preparation technique, which shows reasonable results on plant cells without large central vacuoles: The living cells were directly put into freshly mixed Nanoplast FB 101, a water-soluble melanine resin, and stored for 24 h at 20° C in a silca gel containing exsiccator.

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