| autoradiography | <technique> A specimen containing radioactive atoms is overlaid with a photographic emulsion (X-ray film), which is subsequently developed, revealing the localisation of radioactivity as a pattern of silver grains. Resolution is determined by the path length of the radiation and so the low energy beta emitting isotope, tritium, is usually used. The technique can be used to visualise radioactively labelled molecules or fragments of molecules, used in analyzing length and number of DNA fragments after they are separated by gel electrophoresis. (12 Mar 1998) |
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