Scattered electrons in microscopy and microanalysis
The use of scattered electrons alone for direct imaging of biological specimens makes it possible to obtain structural information at atomic and near-atomic spatial resolutions of 0.3 to 0.5 nanometer. While this is not as good as the resolution possible with x-ray crystallography, such an approach provides structural information rapidly on individual macromolecules that have not been, and possibly cannot be, crystallized. Analysis of the spectrum of energies of scattered electrons and imaging of the latter with characteristic energy bands within the spectrum produces a powerful new technique of atomic microanalysis. This technique, which has a spatial resolution of about 0.5 nanometer and a minimum detection sensitivity of about 50 atoms of phosphorus, is especially useful for light atom analysis and appears to have applications in molecular biology, cell biology, histology, pathology, botany, and many other fields.
- Research Organization:
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- OSTI ID:
- 5428237
- Journal Information:
- Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Journal Name: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States) Vol. 215:4532; ISSN SCIEA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
ELECTRON MICROPROBE ANALYSIS
HISTOLOGY
MICROANALYSIS
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
PATHOLOGY
RESOLUTION
SPATIAL RESOLUTION
STRUCTURAL CHEMICAL ANALYSIS