Microscope Experiments

Table of Contents
Experiment Instructions 4
Experiment 1 : Black and White Print 9
Experiment 2 : Color Print 10
Experiment 3 : Textile Fibers 11
Experiment 4 : Table Salt 12
Experiment 5 : Production of Salt Crystals 13
Experiment 6 : Raising Brine Shrimp 14
Experiment 7 : Observing Stem and
Root Sections 17
Experiment 8 : Observing Cork Cells 18
Experiment 9 : Observing Leaf Cells 19

2 3
 Experiment Instructions small animals, parts of plants and tissues.
When you use a magnifying glass, light falls
onto the object and is reflected back through
WARNING!
the magnifying lens and into your eye. With
• Keep chemicals and corrosive liquids out of
your microscope, however, you can observe
the reach of children.
transparent objects. The light from the lamp
• Do not ingest any chemicals.
goes through the opening on the stage and
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap under
through your prepared specimen. Then, it
running water after use.
passes through the objective, the body of the
microscope, and the eyepiece, and travels
Introduction into your eye. In this way, the microscope is
Here are a few tips about how to take a better only meant for observing transparent objects.
look at the wonderful world of microorganisms Many microorganisms in water, parts of plants,
and crystals. You will learn how to prepare and the tiniest animal parts are naturally
your object so that you can look at it with transparent. To observe opaque objects
the microscope. The numerous experiments under the microscope, we must make them
described should make you curious and want transparent. We can make them transparent
to use your microscope more. through a treatment or penetration with the
right materials (media), or by taking the thinnest
Objects to Observe slices from them (using our hand or a specimen
With a magnifying glass, you can look at slicer), and then examine them. Below you‘ll
non-transparent (i.e. opaque) objects like find out how to do this.

4 5
 How to Produce Thin Specimen The Production of Specimens
Slices There are two basic types of specimens:
permanent specimens and short-term
WARNING! specimens.
Only do this with an adult’s supervision. Ask
your parents to help you. As already mentioned,
you need to get the thinnest slices possible
Short-term Specimens
Short-term specimens are produced from
from an object so that they are transparent and
objects that you want to look at, but don’t want
can be looked at under the microscope. First,
to keep in your specimen collection. These
get a candle and place it in an old pot, then
specimens are only meant to be observed for
heat it on the stove top until the wax becomes
a short period of time, after which they are
liquid. Now, use tweezers to dip the object in
disposed of. For short-term specimens, place
the liquid wax a few times. Be careful, the wax
the object on the slide and place a cover slip
is very hot! After each dip, allow the wax to
on top of it. After looking at the object, clean
harden before you dip the object into the wax
the slide and cover slip, disposing of the
again. When the wax around the object has
specimens. One of the secrets of successful
hardened completely, you can use the specimen
observation with a microscope is the use of
slicer to cut it into thin slices. Place these slices
clean slides and cover slips. Spots or stains will
on a slide and cover them with a cover slip.
distract you when looking at an object.

6 7
 Permanent Prepared How to Prepare a Smear
Specimens Specimen
Permanent prepared specimens are produced For a smear specimen, place a drop of the
from objects that you would like to look at again liquid to be observed (e.g. water from a puddle
and again. The preparation of dry objects (e.g. in the forest) on the end of the slide using the
pollen or the wings of a fly) can only be done pipette included or an eyedropper. Then smear
with special glue. You’ll find such glue at a the liquid across the slide with the help of a
local hobby store or online, identified as “gum second slide. Before observing, let the slides
media.” Objects that contain liquid must first dry together for a few minutes.
have the liquid taken out of them before they
can be prepared as permanent specimens.
Experiment 1:
Black and White Print
How to Prepare a Dry Object Objects
First, place the object in the middle of a clean 1. A small piece of paper from a newspaper
slide and cover it with a drop of glue (gum with a black and white picture and some text.
media). Then place a cover slip on top of the 2. A similar piece of paper from a magazine
object and glue. Lightly press the cover slip with color pictures and text.
so that the glue spreads to the edges. Let
the specimen harden for 2-3 days before In order to observe the letters and the pictures,
observing it. produce a short-term slide from each object.
Now, set your microscope to the lowest
magnification to look at the specimen from

8 9
 the newspaper. The letters on the newspaper Experiment 3:
look frayed and broken, since they are printed Textile Fibers
on raw, low-quality paper. Now look at the Objects
specimen from the magazine. The letters on 1. Threads from various fabrics (e.g. cotton,
the magazine specimen look smoother and linen, wool, silk, rayon)
more complete. The pictures in the newspaper 2. Two needles
are made up of many tiny dots, which appear
slightly smudged. The halftone dots of the Place each thread on a separate slide and fray
magazine picture are clearly defined. the samples using the two needles. Next, wet
the threads and cover them each with a cover
Experiment 2: slip. Set the microscope to one of the lower
Color Print magnifications. Observe each slide in turn.
Objects Cotton fibers come from a plant and look like
1. A small piece of color-printed newspaper a flat, twisted ribbon under the microscope.
2. A similar piece of paper from a magazine The fibers are thicker and rounder at the edges
than in the middle. Cotton fibers are basically
Make short-term specimens from the long, collapsed tubes. Linen fibers also come
objects and observe them with the lowest from a plant, and they are round and run in one
magnification. The colored halftone dots of direction. The fibers shine like silk and exhibit
the newspaper often overlap. Sometimes, many bulges along the length of the thread.
you‘ll even notice two colors in one dot. In the Silk comes from an animal and is made up
magazine, the dots appear clear and rich in of solid fibers that are small in diameter, in
contrast. Look at the different sizes of the dots. contrast to hollow plant-based fibers.

10 11
 Each fiber is smooth and even and looks like Experiment 5:
a tiny glass tube. The fibers of the wool also Production of Salt Crystals
come from an animal. The surface is made Objects
of overlapping sleeves that look broken and 1. Table salt
wavy. If possible, compare wool from different 2. A graduated cylinder filled halfway with
weaving mills. In doing so, take a look at the warm water to dissolve the salt
different appearance of the fibers. Experts can 3. Cotton thread
determine which country the wool came from 4. Paper clips
by doing this. Rayon is a synthetic material that 5. A matchstick or pencil
is produced by a long chemical process.
All the fibers have solid, dark lines on the Add salt to the water until the salt will no
smooth, shiny surface. After drying, the fibers longer dissolve. You now have a saturated
curl into the same position. Observe the salt solution. Wait until the water has cooled.
differences and the similarities between the Attach a paper clip to the end of the cotton
different types of fibers. thread. The paper clip serves as a weight. Tie
the other end of the cotton thread into a knot
Experiment 4: around the match, and dip the end with the
Table Salt paper clip in the salt solution. Place the match
Object - Common table salt horizontally on top of the graduated cylinder,
Place a few grains of salt on a slide, and which prevents the cotton thread from slipping
observe the salt crystals with the lowest setting all the way down into the graduated cylinder.
of your microscope. The crystals are tiny cubes Now, place the graduated cylinder in a warm
and are all the same shape. place for 3-4 days.

12 13
 If you take a look at the glass after a few days will repopulate the salt lake when the drought
under the microscope, you can see that a little ends, Artemia salina lay thick-shelled eggs
colony of salt crystals has formed on the called winter eggs that can survive for up to
cotton thread. ten years in a dormant state. Winter eggs can
withstand heat, cold and chemicals. These eggs
Experiment 6: hatch when favourable conditions return to their
Raising Brine Shrimp ambient environment.
Objects
1. Brine shrimp eggs (at your local hobby store) Incubate Your Brine Shrimp
2. Sea salt To hatch the shrimp, create a solution with an
3. Hatchery appropriate salinity and temperature. First, fill
4. Dry-powdered yeast (not included) two containers (any household container will
work) with a half litre of freshwater, and let
WARNING! The shrimp eggs and the them both stand for about thirty hours. Next,
shrimp are not meant to be eaten! pour half of the provided salt into one container
and stir the solution until the salt dissolves.
Artemia salina are a species of shrimp typically Pour some of this solution into the prawn
found in salt lakes, bodies of water with a hatchery. Place a few eggs close to the lid.
higher salinity than even the ocean. During Position the hatchery somewhere with plenty
a drought, a salt lake can become a hostile of light, but not in direct sunlight. The ambient
habitat for organisms, and entire populations temperature should ideally hover around 77 ºF.
of Artemia salina sometimes die off. During As water in the hatchery evaporates, gradually
drought conditions, to ensure that the species add fresh water from the second container.

14 15
 After two to three days, the eggs will hatch Feed Your Brine Shrimp
prawn larvae, called nauplii. Feed your brine shrimp often to keep them
alive. The best food is dry-powdered yeast. Give
Observe Your Brine Shrimp them some every other day. Be careful not to
The animal that hatches from the egg is known overfeed them, as doing so can cause the water
as a nauplius larva. With the help of a pipette to stagnate and poison the shrimp. If the water
(or an eyedropper), you can place a few of does begin to stagnate (you’ll see it darkening),
these larvae on a glass slide and observe them. transfer the shrimp to a freshwater solution.
The larvae will move around in the salt water
by using their hair-like appendages. Take a few
larvae from the container each day and observe Experiment 7:
them under the microscope. Remember to Observing Stem and Root Sections
return them to their container when you’re done Objects
observing them. In case you’ve hatched the 1. A celery stalk
larvae in a hatchery, simply take off the cover 2. A carrot
of the tank and place the tank on the stage. Cut several very thin slices from the middle of
Depending on the room temperature, the larvae the celery (a stem) and from the middle of the
will be mature in 6-10 weeks. Soon, you will carrot (a root). Make a wet mount by placing
have raised a whole generation of brine shrimp, a drop of water on the slide. Then put the
which will constantly grow in numbers. specimen on the water-covered slide, and top
it with a cover slip. The water will help support
the sample. It also fills in the space between
the cover slip and the slide.

16 17
 Start by viewing the specimens at the Experiment 9:
lowest magnification, and then increase the Observing Leaf Cells
magnification for more detailed observation. Objects - A fresh leaf, clean and dry, without
What differences are there between the stem holes or blemishes
and the root?
With an adult’s supervision, cut a one-inch-
Experiment 8: wide cross section out of the center of the leaf
Observing Cork Cells from one side of the leaf to the other.
Object - A small cork
Tightly roll that section up, starting from one
With an adult’s supervision, cut a very thin uncut edge of the leaf. The central vein of the
slice from the cork. The thinner you cut the leaf will be in the center of the roll and not be
slice, the better you‘ll be able to observe it. visible. Then cut several very thin slices off
Prepare a wet mount of this cork slice as you of one end of the roll. The central vein will be
did with the celery and carrot in Experiment 8. in the middle of this almost transparent slice.
When applying the cover slip over the slide, the You’ll be observing the cells around that central
water, and the cork, make sure no air bubbles vein. Using a droplet of water, make a wet
are trapped beneath it. Begin observing the mount (as in Experiments 8 and 9), placing
specimen with the lowest power, and increase the leaf segment so that the inner part faces
the magnification as desired. The cells you see, up. Start with the lowest power, and gradually
called lenticels, are actually the air pockets that increase the magnification for more detail.
are left after the plant material inside has died. What do you observe about the leaf cells?

18 19
 NOTES: NOTES:

20 21
 NOTES: NOTES:

22 23
©2016 DCL [Link]