- #1
Chas Tennis
- 24
- 4
After many months what comes out of the mouth and nose of someone infected with Covid 19 has not been directly observed.
A single virus particle of Covid 19 is about 120 nanometers in diameter. This means that to see the virus, visible light wavelengths of 400 nm to 700 nm are too long to produce images of individual virus particles. An electron microscope can image the virus as we have seen.
In addition, when someone coughs, sneezes, talks or simply breathes the virus particles are often known to be contained in water droplets of unpublished size distributions.
The issue of whether some of the water droplets are of aerosol size - and float in the air for hours or days - is very important and still unknown.
The water droplets evaporate in flight so the emitted sizes will decrease. But after a time the particles may have relatively less water and more virus and other left-over debris. I believe that these particles are called 'droplet nuclei'.
There must be a simple way to sample what is emitted by an infected person's mouth and nose.
For example, could an infected person exhale into a box of dry flowing nitrogen that contains a cryogenically cooled metal surface, so that the water droplets would land on the surface and quickly freeze. This sample would then be sealed in the box of dry nitrogen. Then metal surfaces with frozen water droplet samples would be available for examination in an electron microscope. Since the electron microscope operates at high vacuum, the water may have to be removed before the droplet nuclei, droplet areas, or virus particles themselves could be examined.
Why not?
Identifying the virus?
Any electron microscopists out there?
What might we see?
Another approach?
Any ideas?
A single virus particle of Covid 19 is about 120 nanometers in diameter. This means that to see the virus, visible light wavelengths of 400 nm to 700 nm are too long to produce images of individual virus particles. An electron microscope can image the virus as we have seen.
In addition, when someone coughs, sneezes, talks or simply breathes the virus particles are often known to be contained in water droplets of unpublished size distributions.
The issue of whether some of the water droplets are of aerosol size - and float in the air for hours or days - is very important and still unknown.
The water droplets evaporate in flight so the emitted sizes will decrease. But after a time the particles may have relatively less water and more virus and other left-over debris. I believe that these particles are called 'droplet nuclei'.
There must be a simple way to sample what is emitted by an infected person's mouth and nose.
For example, could an infected person exhale into a box of dry flowing nitrogen that contains a cryogenically cooled metal surface, so that the water droplets would land on the surface and quickly freeze. This sample would then be sealed in the box of dry nitrogen. Then metal surfaces with frozen water droplet samples would be available for examination in an electron microscope. Since the electron microscope operates at high vacuum, the water may have to be removed before the droplet nuclei, droplet areas, or virus particles themselves could be examined.
Why not?
Identifying the virus?
Any electron microscopists out there?
What might we see?
Another approach?
Any ideas?