A simplified preparation procedure of plant material for elemental analysis by ESI and EELS techniques

Living plant cells were embedded in the water-soluble resin Nanoplast FB 101 and cut into ultrathin sections. Non-vacuolated cells of algae and fungi showed a satisfactory preservation of fine structure. First results of elemental mapping by the ESI technique indicate that phosphorus and sulphur are neither extracted nor dislocated within the cells. The authors are members of the ‘Study Group for Electron Microscopy’ at the Hannover School of Veterinary Medicine.