Development and comparison of the methods for quantitative electron probe X-ray microanalysis analysis of thin specimens and their application to biological material.

In recent years, there has been a return to the use of electron probe X-ray microanalysis for biological studies but this has occurred at a time when the Hall programme which acted as the mainstay for biological microanalysis is no longer easily available. Commercial quantitative routines rely on the Cliff-Lorimer method that was originally developed for materials science applications. Here, the development of these two main routines for obtaining quantitative data from thin specimens is outlined and the limitations that are likely to be met when the Cliff-Lorimer routine is applied to biological specimens is discussed. The effects of specimen preparation on element content is briefly summarized and the problems encountered when using quantitative analysis on resin-embedded materials emphasized.