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AAT Bioquest

Why is it important to dehydrate cells before examining them under an electron microscope?

Posted March 16, 2023


Answer

To examine a sample using electron microscopy, some degree of vacuum is required inside the microscope. However, the vacuum distorts live biological samples, making them impossible to examine. Dehydrating the cells causes the structures and molecules within the cell to thin and clump together without distorting them. This helps the cell to better withstand the environment inside the microscope and prevents distortion of the sample on exposure.

Additional resources

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Cell Sample Preparation

Paraffin-Embedded Tissue Immunohistochemistry

Hoechst 33342 *Ultrapure Grade*