FastPlant(Brassicarapa,Cruciferae)leaftissuefixedinglutaraldehyde-acroleinandpost-fixedinos-mium,wasexaminedforresponsetoseveraleasily-preparedheavymetalstains.Leadanduranium,separatelyandincombination,gavetypicalresultsacrossthespectrumofcellorganellets.Asasinglestainfollowingosmium,bismuthproducedimagesseeminglyequivalenttoleadanduranium.Phosphotungsticacidproducedverygoodmembranedelineationbutproducedawashed-outbackgroundimagesimilartothatfromleadstaining.Carbohydratecompoundswereespeciallyresponsivetoruthenium;thecytoplasmandthematrixofallorganelleswerealsostainedverywell.Theprocedureswerenomoredemandingthantraditionalstainingmethodsandmaybeeasilyusedinresearchandteaching.FastPlantmaterialsareareliable,quickandeasysourceoflivingmaterial.
