Similarities and differences between fluorescence and light microscopes
Fluorescence microscope is a type of optical microscope.
A fluorescence microscope uses ultraviolet light as a light source to irradiate the object to be examined, causing it to emit fluorescence, and then the shape and location of the object are observed under the microscope. Fluorescence microscopy is used to study the uptake and transport of substances, the distribution and localisation of chemicals in cells.
Some substances in cells, such as chlorophyll, can fluoresce after irradiation by ultraviolet light; some other substances cannot fluoresce by themselves, but if stained with fluorescent dyes or fluorescent antibodies, they can also fluoresce after irradiation by ultraviolet light, and fluorescence microscope is one of the tools to carry out qualitative and quantitative research on such substances.
Fluorescence microscope and ordinary microscope have the following differences:
1. The illumination method is usually drop-type, i.e. the light source is projected on the sample through the objective lens;
2. The light source is ultraviolet light, which has a shorter wavelength and a higher resolving power than ordinary microscopes;
3. There are two special filters, the one in front of the light source is used to filter out visible light, and the one between the eyepiece and objective lens is used to filter out ultraviolet light to protect the human eye.
Fluorescence microscope is also a kind of optical microscope, the main difference is that the excitation wavelength of the two are different. This determines the fluorescence microscope and ordinary optical microscope structure and use of different methods.
Fluorescence microscope is the basic tool for immunofluorescence cytochemistry. It is composed of light source, filter plate system and optical system and other major components. It uses a certain wavelength of light to stimulate the specimen to emit fluorescence, which is magnified through the objective lens and eyepiece system to observe the fluorescence image of the specimen.
