Microcentrifugation tube for the concentration of samples for electron microscopy

Claim 1

A microcentrifugation tube comprising a tube having an exterior surface, an open upper end, a closed lower end, and means defining a bore extending from the open upper end of the tube to the closed lower end of the tube, said means defining a bore including a lower tip and an upper section, said lower tip extending upwardly from the closed lower end of the tube about 1 millimeter and having a substantially constant trapezoidal horizontal cross-sectional shape that has a height of approximately 0.5 millimeters and bases of approximately 0.25 millimeters and approximately 0.12 millimeters, said upper section comprising inner walls which taper conically inwardly to said lower tip at an included angle of substantially 10°, and wherein the sizes and shapes of the lower tip and upper section are such that a cell population of a sample placed in said tube may be concentrated and the sample embedded in plastic to provide a finished polymeric plastic sample that is removable from the tube and has a shape to facilitate slicing the plastic sample with a microtome and minimize distortion of the plastic sample during slicing to thereby prepare the sample for examination under an electron microscope.