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Light and Electron Microscope

The document discusses different types of microscopes used in biology including light microscopes and electron microscopes. Light microscopes use visible light and lenses to magnify objects up to 1500x but can only resolve objects about half the wavelength of light. Electron microscopes use electron beams which have much shorter wavelengths, allowing them to resolve much smaller structures up to 500,000x magnification. There are two main types of electron microscopes - transmission electron microscopes which pass electrons through thin specimens, and scanning electron microscopes which detect electrons bouncing off surfaces to provide three-dimensional images.

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1K views16 pages

Light and Electron Microscope

The document discusses different types of microscopes used in biology including light microscopes and electron microscopes. Light microscopes use visible light and lenses to magnify objects up to 1500x but can only resolve objects about half the wavelength of light. Electron microscopes use electron beams which have much shorter wavelengths, allowing them to resolve much smaller structures up to 500,000x magnification. There are two main types of electron microscopes - transmission electron microscopes which pass electrons through thin specimens, and scanning electron microscopes which detect electrons bouncing off surfaces to provide three-dimensional images.

Uploaded by

112d
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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AS Biology Core Principles

The Electron Microscope

Aims
Resolving

power
The resolving power of light &
electron microscopes
The difference between the light &
electron microscope
Transmission & scanning electron
microscopy

Introduction

Microscopes magnify & resolve images


Microscopy began in 1665 when Robert
Hooke coined the word cells to
describe the structure of cork
You need to know about 2 types of
microscope - light & electron
You need to know how they work and
the differences between them
Its not how much they magnify that is
key - but how well they resolve

Resolving Power

The limit of resolution of a microscope is


the smallest distance between 2 points
that can be seen using a microscope
This is a measure of the clarity of the
image
A microscope with a high resolving
power will allow 2 small objects which
are close together to be seen as 2
distinct objects

Resolving Power
Resolving

power is inversely
proportional to the wavelength of
the radiation it uses

The Light Microscope

Series of lenses through


which ordinary white light
can be focused
Optical microscopes can
not resolve 2 points closer
together than about half
(0.45) the wavelength of
the light used (450600nm)
How close is this?

The Light Microscope

The total magnification is


the eyepiece magnification
multiplied by the objective
magnification
The maximum
magnification of a light
microscope is x1500
What can it be used for?
What can it not be used
for?

The Electron Microscope

Electrons (negatively charged, very small


particles) can behave as waves
The wavelength of electrons is about 0.005nm
What will this mean for the limit of resolution?
Electrons are fired from an electron gun at
the specimen and onto a fluorescent screen or
photographic plate
Where is this technique commonly used?
There are 2 types of electron microscopy transmission and scanning
Both focus an electron beam onto the
specimen using electromagnets

Transmission Electron
Microscope (TEM)

In transmission EM the
electrons pass through the
specimen
Specimen needs to be
extremely thin - 10nm to
100nm
TEM can magnify objects up to
500 000 times
TEM has made it possible to
see the details of and discover
new organelles - see page 9 in
Collins

Transmission Electron
Microscope (TEM)

Cells or tissues are killed and


chemically fixed in a
complicated and harsh
treatment (in full detail in table
3.1 pg 52 Rowland)
How does this differ to light
microscopy?
This treatment can result in
alterations to the cell - known
as artefacts
What will this mean for the
images produced?

Transmission Electron
Microscope (TEM)

Transmission electron
micrograph
of
epithelial cells from a
rat small intestine.
Scale bar = 5 mm.

Scanning Electron Microscope


(SEM)

In Scanning EM
microscopes the
electrons bounce off
the surface of the
specimen
Produce images with
a three-dimensional
appearance
Allow detailed study
of surfaces

Scanning Electron Microscope


(SEM)
Now watch the following clip explaining SEM

Scanning Electron Microscope


(SEM)

Links

www.learn.co.uk/

www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/intro/index.html

www.mwrn.com/feature/education.asp

http://www.feic.com/support/tem/transmis.htm

http://anka.livstek.lth.se:2080/microscopy/food
micr.htm

Light & Electron Microscopes


Copy & complete the following table
Feature
Radiation used
Radiation source
Nature of lenses
Lenses used
Image seen
Radiation medium
Magnification
Limit of resolution
What it can show

Light
Microscope

Electron
Microscope

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