# Miscellaneous Herp Interests > Photography >  SEM images of cross section of Bhut Jalokia (Ghost Chili) fruit and leaf

## Reakt20

These are images from a study I'm doing at school on the Bhut Jalokia plant aka the ghost chili, the hottest pepper in the world. The sample was freeze fractured and then freeze dried in a cryo vacuum. Fractured cross sections of the leaf, the fruit (pepper), and a flower were then mounted to a stub using a carbon paint and sputter coated with gold and platinum. Images were obtained using a Hitachi S-4100 Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope. Notice the capsaicin crystals. They just look like they hurt to eat!

















Thanks for looking!

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snakesRkewl (01-03-2012)

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## EverEvolvingExotics

Those are some pretty amazing shots!  There is a Master Sergeant in my squadron that puts a handful of these in his chili each year when we hold a chili cook off.  He always wins at the hottest, haha.  It's pretty funny watching peoples faces after their first bite, some turn bright red, some start coughing, nobody seems fine afterward. 

Thanks for sharing the unique shots!

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_Reakt20_ (10-16-2011),snakesRkewl (01-03-2012)

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## Reakt20

Ill post some more images soon. I have some cool ones of white wine crystals as well.

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## Aes_Sidhe

That's Cool... i was always jealous  :Embarassed:  of people who have microscopes or astro telescopes fused with cameras.. what a possibilities  :Very Happy: 
Very interesting Pictures... Definitely  not what we see everyday  :Good Job:

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_Reakt20_ (10-17-2011)

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## Reakt20

Thank you. I'm trying to process some shed snake skin but it keeps burning up in the electron beam. I have to either coat the heck out of it with gold and platinum or i might just have to use a real nice light microscope to image.

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## ballpythonluvr

This is so cool!  Just amazing really!

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_Reakt20_ (10-17-2011)

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## slackerz

nice picture..

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_Reakt20_ (12-02-2011)

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## Ezekiel285

That's awesome!! i love the crystals in the last ones

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_Reakt20_ (12-02-2011)

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## Reakt20

Thanks guys! I have a ton more of all sorts of weird stuff. I'll post more when school isn't so hectic!

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Ezekiel285 (12-02-2011)

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## Ezekiel285

> Thanks guys! I have a ton more of all sorts of weird stuff. I'll post more when school isn't so hectic!


I hear ya on that one... finals suck.

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_Reakt20_ (12-02-2011)

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## Reakt20

you arent lying...

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## bioteacher

Some really great photography and quite the interesting subject! I grow ghost chilis at home and love the heat! I also teach and these would be the kind of shots that would go really well with lessons. Nice work.

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_Reakt20_ (01-02-2012)

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## Reakt20

> Some really great photography and quite the interesting subject! I grow ghost chilis at home and love the heat! I also teach and these would be the kind of shots that would go really well with lessons. Nice work.


If you would like any of the images or others similar, I have a ton of them you can use. I can email you the .tif files. let me know.

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_bioteacher_ (01-03-2012)

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## Lucas339

nice photos!!

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_Reakt20_ (01-03-2012)

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## Mike41793

These photos are very cool! Thanks so much for sharing!

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_Reakt20_ (01-03-2012)

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