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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Two-Dimensional Visualization and Quantification of Labile, Inorganic Plant Nutrients and Contaminants in Soil
Published on: September 1, 2020
High-resolution elemental localization in vacuolate plant cells by nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry
Katharine E Smart1, J Andrew C Smith, Matt R Kilburn
1Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, UK.
Abstract:
By combining the capabilities of advanced sample preparation methodologies with the latest generation of secondary ion mass spectrometry instrumentation, we show that chemical information on the distribution of even dilute species in biological samples can be obtained with spatial resolutions of better than 100 nm. Here, we show the distribution of nickel and other elements in leaf tissue of the nickel hyperaccumulator plant Alyssum lesbiacum prepared by high-pressure freezing and freeze substitution.

