Two hot stages are available for use with the various optical microscopes in the MCL, including the Raman microprobes. The FP84 DTA/DSC cell can be heated from ambient to 375^oC with an accuracy of 0.8^oC. Addition of a cooling bath can extend that range to -60^oC. This cell, in conjunction with the FP90 controller, is used to measure optical differential thermal analysis (DTA) curves and optical differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curves by measuring temperature or heat flow differences between a reference and sample pan. The controller can provide multiple temperature programs and ramp rates. The FP5 controller and FP 52 cell are used to measure optical melting points and phase transitions by temperature scanning using normal glass slides. Typical applications of the hot stages including measuring melting curves and measuring phase transitions optically. They can also be used for maintaining constant temperature for kinetic studies using optical microprobes.