Abstract
Quantitative aspects of submicroscopic autoradiography, using the flat substrate technique, were studied. Using Kodak D19b as developer efficiency values of about 37 for the Ilford LA emulsion and about 17 for the Gevaert-Agfa Scientia Nuc 3.07 emulsion were obtained with H3-methacrylate sections of gray interference colors. Theoretical and experimental data revealed that the high standard deviations of efficiency values obtained are caused mainly by variations in section thickness within ribbons of sections, which on account of identical interference colors were considered to be equally thick. Measurements of efficiency on sections with thickness variations between 400 and 2500 Å revealed that self-absorption is an important factor in tritium autoradiography at the electron microscopic level.