3.1-Methods of studying cells Flashcards
magnification equation
magnification= size of image / size of real object
resolution
minimum distance apart that two objects can be in order for them to appear as separate items
what is the resolving power of a light microscope?
0.2 micrometers
magnification
how many times bigger the image is compared to the object
image
appearance of the object when viewed under the microscope
what is cell fracination?
process where cells are broken up and different organelles they contain are separated out
conditions before cell fractionation can begin and their reasons:
1) cold- to reduce enzyme activity that may break down organelles
2)same water potential as tissue- prevent organelles bursting or shrinking as a result of osmotic gain or loss of water
3) buffered- so pH doesn’t fluctuate
2 stages of cell fractionation
Homogenation
Ultracentrifugation
what are cells broken up by?
homogeniser- releases organelles from cell
the resultant fluid (homogenate) is then filtered
Describe the process of ultracentrifugation
process in which fragments in the filtered homogenate are separated in a machine called a centrifuge- spins tubes of homogenate at very high speed in order to create centrifugal force
Name the first 2 heaviest organelles that are released first during the process of ultracentrifugation
nuclei
mitochondria