Amicrotome(fromtheGreekmikr

os,meani
ng"s
ma l
l"
,andtemnei
n,me ani
ng"tocut")i
satoolus
edto
cutext
remelythinsl
ic
esofmate
rial
,knownass
ecti
ons.I
mporta
ntins
cience,mi
crotomesareusedin
micr
oscopy,
a l
l
owi ngfort
hepr
eparati
onofs
amplesf
orobser
vati
onundertrans
mittedli
ghtorel
ect
ron
r
a di
ati
on.

Microtome susesteel
,glas
s,ordiamondbl ade sdependingupont hespeci
menbe i
ngsli
cedandt he
desir
edt hi
cknessofthesecti
onsbeingc ut
.S teelbladesareusedtopreparesecti
onsofa ni
mal orpla
nt
ti
ssuesforlig
htmic r
oscopyhis
tology.Glas
sk nivesareusedt osl
ic
es ecti
onsforli
ghtmicros
copya ndto
sl
ic
ev erythinsect
ionsforelec
tronmic ros
copy .Indust
rial
g r
adediamondk nivesareusedtosl
iceha r
d
mat e
rial
ssuc hasbone,teethandplantma tterforbothlightmicr
os c
opya ndforelec
tronmicroscopy.
Gemqua li
tydia
mondk nivesareusedf orsl
ici
ngt hinsecti
onsforelect
ronmicroscopy.

Mi c
rotomyisamethodfort
heprepara
tionofthi
ns ec
tionsf
orma t
erial
ssuchasbones
,mi
neral
sand
t
e eth,
a ndanal
ter
nati
vetoel
ectr
opoli
shingandionmilli
ng.
Mi c
rot
omes e
cti
onscanbemadethi
n
enought os
ecti
onahuma nhai
racros
sitsbre
a dt
h,withsect
ionthi
cknessbetween50nmand100μm.

Mi
crot
omea
ref
ourt
ypes-

1.
Roc
kingmi
crot
ome
2.
Rot
ator
ymi
crot
ome

3.
Sl
idi
ngmi
crot
ome

4.
Fre
ezi
ngmi
crot
ome