Low-dose nuclear microscopy as a necessity for accurate quantitative microanalysis of biological samples

Some aspects of quantitative analysis of biological samples - including a review of the relevant literature - are discussed, Special emphasis is put on the accuracy of trace elemental results despite severe sample damage which occurs during analysis. The occuring mass loss can be corrected by combining quantitative STIM and PIXE. It is also possible to characterize the volatility of most of the minor and trace elements of the sample. The comparison between the presented model and matrix determination with RES, a widely used method, definitely demonstrates that the concentrations obtained using RES correction only may be too high by a factor of two. We recommend at least one low-dose analysis to do correct quantification, (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.