Production and Cleaning of Freeze-Etch Replicas which Show Complementary Surfaces of Fractured Fungus Spores and Hyphae

Abstract

London finder grids (H-2) and 3 mm copper discs were flared on opposite sides by use of a die and punch. The grids were registered on the discs and attached with vaseline. The specimen was squeezed through the grid apertures by the 2 copper discs. The complete sandwich was frozen in freon 22 and placed in a hinged specimen holder which fractured the layer of the specimen between the 2 finder grids. Platinum-carbon and carbon replicas were made immediately after fracturing. After drying the replicas, the vaseline was removed by chloroform, and replicas were cleaned with 70% H2SO4 for 1–18 hr at 52 C, followed by 6% commercial sodium hypochlorite (Chlorox) for 1–2 hr at 23–25 C.