Electron microscopy of aquatic colloids: non-perturbing preparation of specimens in the field

Article Article scientifique Article Electron microscopy of aquatic colloids: non-perturbing preparation of specimens in the field eng 1991-11 author Perret Didier 22934 Département de chimie minérale et analytique (CHIAM) author Leppard Gary G. author Muller Martin 113281 author Belzile Nelson 44779 author Devitre Richard Rustam 26474 author Buffle Jacques 24673 Administration de la faculté des sciences (SIAD) 1333-1343 10.1016/0043-1354(91)90111-3 0043-1354 This paper describes a simple and powerful procedure for the specimen preparation of aquatic colloidal particles prior to direct observation by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Four preparation schemes are described. For waters containing sufficiently large concentrations of colloids, aqueous solutions of particles are mixed with Nanoplast, a water-soluble embedding resin, and centrifuged over specimen grids placed on a horizontal disc; after curing, the resulting film has optimum quality for studies of particles at ultra-high resolution (⩾ 1 nm). For waters with low concentrations of colloids, or when size fraction is desired, particles are collected directly on a TEM grid placed at the bottom of a centrifugation tube; after deposition and curing of a film of Nanoplast over the specimen, the grid can be used directly for TEM observation. The advantages of these methods, and of two other applications of Nanoplast for aquatic and sediment particles, are compared to those of classical specimen preparation schemes. A large number of specimens may be quickly prepared in the field, using the above procedures; at the same time, most of the preparation artefacts linked to classical procedures are avoided. The new procedures should help to make TEM a semi-routine analysis method for studying the nature and behaviour of aquatic colloids. Aquatic colloids Transmission electron microscopy Nanoplast water-soluble embedding resin Lake River Sediment Dewey 540 40 Département de chimie minérale, analytique et appliquée 145 false Water research 25 11 7f6c359c-a4b2-4b2d-b4ac-4117bb5cdb8f Article (Published version) Restricted Perret_WR_1991251333.pdf 6812282 application/pdf 20fd6990f6164dcd194a107a69568071d1bf8446379a5f3e18eb02ad705edc4f restrictedAccess Faculté des sciences / Section de chimie et biochimie / Département de chimie minérale, analytique et appliquée

Title	Published in	Year	Views	Downloads

Electron microscopy of aquatic colloids: non-perturbing preparation of specimens in the field	Water research	1991	66	0
Techniques de mesure in situ des flux d'échanges à l'interface eau-sédiments: avantages et inconvénients	Hommage à F.-A. Forel: troisième Conférence internationale des limnologues d'expression française	1991	119	189

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Devitre, Richard Rustam