E: Freeze-etching technique with simple rapid freezing of fresh biological specimen

Freeze-etching technique combined with a simple rapid freezing method is described. The freezing of tissues was accomplished by bringing them into con-tact with cold copper block at the temperature of liquid nitrogen. The frozen tissues were put into deep grooves on the specimen stage in the standing position. The fracturing was performed in the direction perpendicular to the standing specimen. This fracturing method yielded a narrow replica. However, one of the marginal zones of the replica always represents the well-preserved area. Thus, this method offered the simple, economical and practical means of obtaining the freeze-fracture or freeze-fracture etching replica of un-fixed living tissues. Key words=freeze-etching: rapid freezing: freeze-substitutio