What are sections thin slices of specimens used for in science laboratories?

Answer 1

Biological thin specimens may be flash frozen using dry ice or liquid nitrogen and the sample is then embedded in paraffin wax or some similar material. From this block, thin sections are shaved off; often tens of samples; and these then may be transferred to a suitable mount for microscopic inspection.

The shaving is usually done with the sharp edge of a specially prepared glass blade, and the the whole assembly is known as a microtome.

This technique is used for plant or other bio tissue samples. For example, one could thus make a serial sections of a worm, allowing one to follow the location and shape of various organs in the body. Such as hearts or nephridia.

Geological thin specimens are also prepared for microscope inspection. The rock sample is mounted on a suitable carrier, and a smooth face is prepared using fine grinding techniques. The smooth face is then adhered to the smooth face of a carrier, and the remainder of the rock is then ground away until only a thin section remains. Using a transparent carrier allows the progress of the grinding to be monitored.

This is inspected under polarized light, and is an informative way of determining the minerals present.