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Post by Alan on Apr 8, 2006 23:15:21 GMT -5
John, Sebastian, and others,
This topic has been mentioned before, but I wonder what type of microscope I would need to buy in order to see particles down to 1 micron or so?
I would like to start studying what the particlulate in my chocolate looks like at various stages of processing. Also, I know that they make slides or maybe slide-covers that have comparison "marks" of various particle sizes so that one can compare things visually. Does anyone know what the technical name for these is?
Basically, if I want to buy a microscope for this purpose, and the slide-covers, what should I look for when I'm searching around on E-bay?
Thanks for your help.
Alan
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Post by Alchemist on Apr 9, 2006 14:47:54 GMT -5
I want to preface this by saying that I have not researched this.
I don't think that anything short of an electron microscope will do the job, and that it would still not be the best tool for the job. All the particle size analysis I have seen and had done were from specific particle size analyzers. The chocolate is suspended in a suitable solvent and the system is characterized by wavelength defraction if I recall correctly.
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Post by Alan on Apr 9, 2006 17:53:54 GMT -5
I want to preface this by saying that I have not researched this. I don't think that anything short of an electron microscope will do the job, and that it would still not be the best tool for the job. All the particle size analysis I have seen and had done were from specific particle size analyzers. The chocolate is suspended in a suitable solvent and the system is characterized by wavelength defraction if I recall correctly. Dear John, Thanks for your thoughts. I found this on line: Micrometer is equivalent to a micron I've found out. This means that I should be able to find a light microscope to do the job. So do I just look for something with 1000x magnification and 0.2 micron resolution? Is there a specific type of microscope name that I should looke for. I realize that this is not the best way to see particle size distributions, but in addition to seeing particles of varying sizes, I would also like to see the shape of those particles. I am interested in looking at the angularity ("jaggedness") of the particles in my chocolate compared to those of professional chocolate makers. I don't know hoe much chemists deal with microscopes, but certainly more than religious studies graduates, so I figure you might be able to point me in the general direction since however little you know, I know way less. I find so many types of microscopes on line that I don't know where to start. Oh, I did have some luck with finding a "scale" of sorts by which to judge particle size: www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artdec99/cwnano.htmlApparently I need an eye-piece reticule. Alan
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Post by Sebastian on Apr 9, 2006 20:41:18 GMT -5
There are lots of ways to look at your particles - some use measured grids on optical microscopes, others use handheld micrometers, and other use full blown laser particle size distribution. Each will give you different types of information, each is useful in it's own way...
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Post by sugaralchemy on May 6, 2006 12:11:27 GMT -5
What did you end up doing in this department, Alan?
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Post by Alan on May 6, 2006 12:22:18 GMT -5
What did you end up doing in this department, Alan? Well, Nothing yet. I'm certainly going to buy something because after researching it more, I've found that it is possible to see very small particles (under 5 microns), as well as their shape with a reasonably priced (under $1000 and probably under $500) microscope. However, I don't have any stores in my city that sell microscopes, so I've been looking online and e-mailing companies for information. But, they haven't been very helpful overall, as in they haven't been replying to me e-mails. I'm going to have to kick up my searching a notch or so because I'm getting to the point where having one of these is necessary. I'll let you know what I find. I'm looking for a good quality, but good value microscope. C-L
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Post by sugaralchemy on May 6, 2006 15:41:35 GMT -5
You should be able to get a 1000x microscope for fairly little money actually. Just search around (even try froogle.com) a little and you'll see some lower end microscopes going for a surprisingly low amount of money.
However, the acquisition that will be the most interesting is to see how well you can do on the apparatus to assist in measuring the particles. I would be interested to see what you work out in this department.
The actual technique may prove trickiest for you, especially if you want to talk about high magnifications and don't have experience with microscopy. Oil immersion, contrast enhancement, etc. However, you could see 0.2 micron detail on the microscope given best case scenario, so you could expect to see a fairly clear, detailed picture of the particles.
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Post by Alchemist on May 8, 2006 18:13:42 GMT -5
I have a 1 micron resolution camera mounted microscope at my lab that I am going to try and find time to play with.
I will keep you posted.
Maybe some nice pictures even.
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Post by Alan on May 8, 2006 19:18:12 GMT -5
Sound good!
C-L
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Post by jamescary on Jan 22, 2008 2:30:48 GMT -5
Did you guys have any luck with the light microscope?
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Post by ethnobotanist on Jan 25, 2008 16:35:46 GMT -5
Hi guys, I'm new to the forum - actually this is my first post. I have worked in research labs for years and have quite a bit of experience with microscopy. You should easily be able to approximate particle size in your chocolate visually using a light microscope, the difficulty will be preparation of the sample on the slide. Most transmission light microscopes have the light source underneath the stage, so that in order to see what you're looking at it has to be more or less transparent. Most times this is achieved by making a "section" which is a very thin slice through the material you're analysing. You might be able to do that with a bit of mucking around (and practise) without the fancy equipment we use in labs. The other option is to find a microscope with facility for a reflective light source, ie. above the stage. That way you can focus on the surface of a thicker, opaque piece of chocolate. My feeling is that if you could make a thin shaving of chocolate and mount that on a slide with light from underneath you would have a much easier time seeing clearly defined particles of cocoa and/or sugar. I have access to nice microscopes so I might try to take some pictures to post if I can find time. Hope some of this helps.
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Post by jamescary on Jan 31, 2008 14:09:33 GMT -5
Thanks ethnobotanist! I just picked up a digital micrometer for quick spot testing, but at some point I'd like to actually take a look at the particles. Any tips on buying one? Also, any ideas on how best to see the shape of the particle?
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