Biological applications of the NAC nuclear microprobe

The nuclear microprobe (NMP) is an established analytical instrument for the determination of minor and trace elements. It allows measurements with a spatial resolution of the order of 1 μm and minimum detection limits down to few ppm by weight, with excellent scanning capabilities. The nuclear microprobe of the National Accelerator Centre, South Africa, is being used in a wide number of applications in the biosciences. The complementarity of proton-induced x-ray emission and backscattering spectrometry in a wide range of biological applications is shown. The advantages and restrictions of true elemental imaging are also discussed.