Ultramicrotomy

Abstract

An ultramicrotome is designed to cut ultrathin sections (10-100 nm), semithin sections (0.25-0.5 μm), and ultrathin frozen sections (if suitably equipped). These requirements have resulted in the development of two basic instruments over the years: thermal- and mechanical-advance ultramicrotomes. An excellent and concise source of information on ultramicrotomy is the booklet “Ultramicrotomy: Frequent Faults and Problems,” by Sitte (1981). A more lengthy discussion of ultramicrotomy can be found in Reid’s (1975) book.