Abstract

Quantitative microanalysis of the important elements calcium and phosphorus in thin biological samples is normally performed using EDX spectroscopy. Sometimes, however, it is helpful to obtain additional information such as the relative amounts of nitrogen and oxygen present. EELS is sensitive to these low-Z elements and in certain cases can also improve P and Ca detection limits because of the higher EELS counting rate. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of Ca:P:Q:N ratio determinations, though we must be cautious about the N and O ratios because of mass loss.Fig. 1(a) is a STEM image of isolated dense bodies extracted from human blood platelets by sonication and then centrifuged onto a thin carbon substrate. The dense bodies which are typically 1000 Å in diameter were well separated from other constituents of the cells. Fig. 2(a) shows an EELS spectrum from a dense body about 800 Å in diameter. It was recorded at 100 keV beam energy with a Hitachi spectrometer attached to an H700H electron microscope.

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