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Negative Staining

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Introduction

Negative stains are reagents which contain heavy atoms and do not crystallize upon drying, so that they provide a uniform electron-dense stain for electron microscopy.

They are used to visualize the edges of protein complexes, macromolecules and cells in suspension.

Unlike positive stains such as osmium tetroxide, negative stains do not obscure labeling of the biological structures themselves.

Nanoprobes offers two unique, high-quality negative stains:

NanoVan® (Methylamine Vanadate)

Nano-W® (Methylamine Tungstate)

NanoVan® (Methylamine Vanadate)

NanoVan® (methylamine vanadate) is based on vanadium, which has a lower atomic number (23) than other elements commonly used as negative stain reagents such as uranium (92) or tungsten (74). NanoVan® is recommended for samples labeled with Nanogold®, since it does not obscure visibility of the small 1.4 nm gold as do the higher atomic number stains. It may also be used in other standard negative stain work since it has excellent staining properties (see: Tracz, E., et. al.: Brain Res., 773, 33-44 (1997)).

Features of NanoVan®

Produces a light, very uniform negative stain for high-resolution fine structure visualization.
Stable, non-volatile in the electron beam, more resistant than uranyl acetate.
Does not denature protein samples.
Excellent spreading properties.
Near-neutral pH of 8.
Supplied ready-to-use as a 2 % solution in water.
Permits visualization of Nanogold®.

Instructions and technical information (html)
Instructions (PDF)
Material Safety Data Sheet (PDF)

Nano-W® (Methylamine Tungstate)

Nano-W® (methylamine tungstate) is a negative stain based on an organotungsten compound. It has excellent spreading qualities and a high density for high contrast. It may be mixed with the lower atomic number NanoVan® to produce intermediate stain densities. It has a pH of 6.8.

Instructions and technical information (html)
Instructions (PDF)
Material Safety Data Sheet (PDF)

For some images of negatively stained virus particles and more information on the technique in general, see Linda Stannard's Virus ultrastructure pages (University of Cape Town).

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Price List:
Negative Stains

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Australia and Singapore: Please order through our distributor.
International orders: Our local distributors can provide expedited customs processing and delivery to your area.
Paying by purchase order? Please use our online order form.

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