Chapter 6, Problem 6.1CR

Summary Introduction

To explain: How microscopy and biochemistry complement each other to reveal cell structure and function.

Introduction: Microscopy is the use of microscope to see an object that is not visible to the naked eye. Light microscopy uses the light to view the specimen and in electron microscopy, a beam of electron is used to view the specimen. With the help of a light microscope, it is possible to view different cell types, bacteria, algae, and fungi. Electron microscope is used for topographical study of a sample. Biochemistry is a branch of science that explores the chemical processes within and related to the living organisms.

Explanation of Solution

Microscope is an instrument used to observe minute organisms that are invisible to the naked eyes. The first microscope was devised by Anton von Leeuwenhoek and later several modifications were made. The most commonly used microscopes are light microscope and electron microscope. The electron microscopy and light electron microscopy permit the cells to be studied visually, and they help in understanding the internal structure of the cell and arrangement of the cell components. The different groups of cellular components that are separated by cell fractionation techniques are able to analyze biochemically to determine their function. The correlation between the biochemical function of the cell and the cell component can be found by performing microscopy on the same cell fraction. Microscopy is used to view the tissue, plant, or animal cell or any other organism. Both the plant and animal cell have various organelles that can be separated by cell fractionation. The staining method can be used to analyze different structural and functional properties of the cell or isolated organelles.