From 0006368902@mcimail.com Sun Apr 17 11:00:55 1994 Date: Sat, 16 Apr 1994 18:27:00 EST From: International Microfaces <0006368902@mcimail.com> Reply to: "Medicinal and Aromatic Plants discussion list\"." To: Multiple recipients of list HERB Subject: Re: in-situ SEM-observation >Keywords: uncoated organic material in scanning electron microscopy >My name is Michael Schlag. I have a botanist's training and been working in >electron >microscopy, mainly transmission EM. >Recently, I have taken on a part-time job at the Vienna-based Austrian Wood >Research Institute. There my colleagues and I are embarking on in-situ >SEM-observation of deformation and breaking processes of wood. >To that end we have acquired a bending unit for SEM ("Biege-Modul", Fa. RAITH, >Germany). As is generally know, observing organic matter in the SEM requires >coating the objekt with a conductive film, mostly gold. Breaking such material, >however, automatically exposes uncoated surfaces to the electron beam and leads >to >strong electric charging even at a low acceleration voltage (1-3 KV) making >observation and documentation impossible. >Has anybody got an idea how we could solve this problem? We would be very >grateful >for every tip we get! Michael, The following information is from _The Persecution and Trial of Gaston Naessens_ by Christopher Bird (Coauthor of _The Secret Life of Plants_) Published by HJ Kramer Inc., Tiburon, CA 94920: If this is of interest to you let me know and I can give you more details. John Zullo jszullo@mcimail.com Gaston Naessens states that they have "perfected an instrument for microscopic observation, which we have called the _Somatoscope_. The primary quality of this apparatus is that it permits the observation of live elements and can follow the polymorphism to enlargements attaining 30,000 X with a resolution on the order of 150 angstroms."