Ultramicrotome
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Revision as of 14:04, 4 April 2012 by 192.168.3.254 (Talk) (Created page with "[[File:Microtome-ultras.jpg|thumb|right|A ribbon of ultrathin sections prepared by room temperature ultramicrotomy, floating on water in the boat of a diamond knife used to cu...")
An ultramicrotome is a device which cuts specimens into very thin (30 to 50 nanometer) slices. The specimen is first embedded in a block of rigid material such as wax or epoxy. A glass or diamond knife is then used to cut the specimen. Typically the knife is mounted in a water trough which allows the sample to float in order to be collected for later microscopy.