Improved uranyl acetate staining for electron microscopy

✍ Scribed by Tandler, Bernard

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 154 KB
• Volume: 16
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0741-0581
• DOI: 10.1002/jemt.1060160110

✦ Synopsis

Reserve Uni versi t y , C1 eve1 and , Ohio 44106 Uranyl acetate was one o f the f i r s t contrasting agents t o be used t o s t a i n t h i n sections f o r electron microscopy (Watson, 1958). Because t h i s compound i s only sparingly soluble i n water, absolute methanol, i n which very high concentrations o f uranyl acetate can be achieved, has been advocated as a solvent (Stempak and Ward, 1964) ( . Unfortunately, both aqueous and methanolic solutions o f uranyl acetate are inherently unstable, becoming t u r b i d and unusable s h o r t l y a f t e r preparation.

I n order t o f o r e s t a l l t h i s photoactive reaction o f uranyl acetate solutions, many workers store such solutions i n brown b o t t l e s o r wrap clear f l a s k s i n aluminum f o i l t o keep out l i g h t , but, even w i t h these precautions, the s t a i n i n g solutions s t i l l may p r e c i p i t a t e .