Modification of Silica Replica Technique for Study of Biological Membranes and Application of Rotary Condensation in Electron Microscopy

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Abstract
A modified silica replica technique for electron microscopy has been developed involving direct condensation of silica upon the object. For improvement of the silica replica technique in general, the following new procedures are introduced: (a) The undesirable effects of brittleness of silica replica is largely obviated by use of a thin plastic supporting film. (b) A working method is introduced which completely avoids manual manipulation of the unsupported replicas. (c) A better definition of small structural elements of the specimen is obtained when a new method of condensing metallic vapors on a rotating replica is introduced; when compared to the usual shadowcasting, an improved two-dimensional definition of the objects is achieved; also the combined use of rotary condensation and shadowcasting provides a better general definition of objects than would be obtainable by either method alone. Reproducibility of the morphology of crystals and particles by the modified silica replica is demonstrated with the electron micrographs.

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