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Immersion Oil Recommendation
Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2020 2:30 pm
by gillyj
Beginner looking to make first purchase of immersion oil. I see there are a few different brands and types (A, B, non drying . . ) available on Amazon. Does it make a difference what I use or is the type determined by objective specs? Are certain brands better than others?
Re: Immersion Oil Recommendation
Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2020 3:09 pm
by Hobbyst46
Cargille is a long-term famous and reliable brand.
However the main difference between type A and type B, for other brands as well, is viscosity. Type A is less viscous, Type B is much more viscous. For Upright microscopy I prefer type A. Type B is advantageous for inverted microscopy, I think, since it stays better between the objective top and the slide (or petri dish) bottom. Also note that viscosity drops considerably with temperature. When the specimen is at 37C for example (say, a live tissue or human cells) the viscosity is visibly less than at ordinary RT.
Re: Immersion Oil Recommendation
Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2020 3:37 pm
by Tom Jones
I've always preferred a 50:50 mixture of high and low viscosity for normal work in clinical labs, and that's what I use at home.
Buying both to mix, while a bit more expensive, has the side benefit of allowing you to try all three and stay with what you find most convenient for the work you do.