Posts that relate to the Keyword: glycerol jelly

The effect of the mounting medium on specimen and image quality

The mounting medium can have a significant effect both on the image quality and on the specimen itself. I tried a little experiment by observing pollen from a plant (in this case the buttercup, Ranunculus), mounted in five different ways: Air-mounted, with no cover glass Air-mounted, with a cover glass Mounted in water (temporary mount) [...]

Making mounts of pollen grains

Permanent slides of pollen grains can be used as a reference for identifying unknown pollen samples. It is therefore important, that the pollen grains remain in an authentic, natural shape. The preparation and mounting of the pollen can introduce artifacts: the pollen may lose some of its pigment, start to shrink and shrivel or absorb [...]

An overview of mounting media for microscopy

Mounting media are needed for making permanent slides. The mounting medium holds the specimens in place between the cover slip and the slide. The choice of the right mounting medium is a separate topic all on its own. There are countless commercial and home-made mounting media available. Which ones should one use? In many cases [...]

Choosing the right mounting medium for making permanent slides

There are numerous different mounting media available for making permanent slides. What factors determine the choice of the mounting medium? Here are some possible points to consider. Toxicity: Solvent-based mounting media (such as Eukitt and Canada Balsam) require the specimen to be in xylene prior to embedding. This substance is toxic. Other mounting media, such [...]