Quantitative electron microprobe analysis of cryosections.

There are numerous approaches to preparation and analysis of biological specimens which have been developed in many laboratories involving the use of cryosections. Because there is no clear consensus on how such samples should be produced or analyzed, it can be a formidable problem to choose or even review possible options. Therefore, it is the purpose of this tutorial to consider, in an instructional manner the problems of specimen preparation and analysis in terms of the solutions and procedures used by the author. The discussion, consequently, focuses on the problems of specimen preparation and analysis as seen by the author. It is hoped that the reader will appreciate the inherent bias introduced by this strategy, yet be able to use the information presented as a framework for approaching the literature in this field with sufficient understanding to make an informed decision about the diverse techniques which have been used for x-ray analysis of cryosections. In this tutorial, the author has considered the problems and limitations in the critical freezing step in contrast to what are widely held assumptions. Lastly, popular analytical algorithms have been reviewed including the use of x-ray analysis for forming quantitative elemental images.