Bismuth specifically stains Golgi beads and interchromatin granules after fixation with glutaraldehyde, whereas it stains nucleoli, basic protein, and biogenic amines after formaldehyde fixation. Bismuth staining of sections is relatively nonspecific: it can stain glycogen, lysosomes, ribosomes, polysaccharides, ferritin, and DNA. M.A. Hayat, "Basic Techniques for TEM" p. 184 (1986).
1. Specific En Bloc Staining (Locke & Huie, 1977)