SEM images of cross section of Bhut Jalokia (Ghost Chili) fruit and leaf

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!

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Thanks for looking!

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!

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

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

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.

This is so cool! Just amazing really!

nice picture..

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

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

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 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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I hear ya on that one... finals suck.