Posts that relate to the Keyword: lab

Setting up a Home Laboratory for Microscopy

Why a home lab? For someone who wants to observe ready-made permanent slides or an occasional pond water sample, a fully equipped home laboratory may not be necessary and somewhat of an overkill. In this case it is sufficient to find a reasonably dust-free place to store and operate the microscope. The microscope can then [...]

Introductory Microscopy Projects for Schools

Are you looking for simple microscopy projects for classrooms? Here is a list of ideas. Do not forget about safety measures!

Fructose Mounting Medium for Permanent Slides

Many mounting media for making permanent microscope slides include organic solvents and are less suitable for the use in classrooms, at home and with children. In this article I would like to show you how to make fructose syrup to be used as a safe mounting medium.

Observing Brownian Motion

Brownian motion is the random movement of particles. It is possible to observe this movement under the microscope.

Staining Yogurt Bacteria

School microscopes are often not equipped with phase contrast optics, which would be suitable for viewing bacteria. It is possible to see bacteria also in regular bright field, but the results are better if they are stained. Yogurt bacteria are safe for the use in schools.

Some Safety Issues

Here are some safety issues to consider when doing microscopy lab work. This is not a comprehensive list.

Observing Leaf Stomata

It is possible to observe the impression of leaf epidermis cells on white wood glue. The stomata and guard cells are easily visible. The regular shape of the stomata makes it an ideal specimen for practicing drawing.

Observing Plasmolysis

It is possible to observe the plasmolysis of cells under the microscope. When salt water is added to onion cells, then the cells will lose water due to osmosis, this can be observed.