Microscope Slide(#3)

In Science, we have also learned how to set up a microscope slide to be able to see the different organelles under the lens. With this task, we looked through an onion skin.

Basic Slide Preparation Equipment
Stain - A chemical stain is often used to dye the cell (or particular organelles) so they are more visible.
Slide - Made of glass, this is used to hold the specimen.
Tweezers - For manipulating the specimen and coverslip.
Coverslip - A very thin piece of glass used to hold the specimen flat and keep it in place.
Specimen - Must be transparent and thin.

How to set it up
1) Place your specimen in the middle of a clean slide. Ensure that the specimen is laying flat and not folded over on itself.

2) Add 2-3 drops of the stain solution. Plants cells are commonly stained with iodine, whereas animal cells are commonly stained with methylene blue. Both of these solutions stain the nucleus of each cell (and your fingers and clothes, so be careful).

3) Holding a coverslip by its edges in your left hand, maneuver it so that the bottom edge of the coverslip makes contact with both the slide and the edge of the stain solution.

4) Gently lower the coverslip with the tweezers or with your hand, ensuring that no air bubbles are trapped under the coverslip.

5) Place your slide on the microscope stage and examine it under low-power magnification.