Wet Mount Microscope Slide
Materials: ★★☆ Available in most school laboratories or specialist stores
Difficulty: ★☆☆ Can be easily done by most teenagers
Safety: ★☆☆ Minimal safety procedures required
Categories: Cells and Microscopes, Lab Skills and Safety
Alternative titles: Mounting Living Specimens on Slides
Summary
A wet mount slide allows you to observe living cells or microorganisms in a drop of liquid under a microscope. It is a simple and quick method, but requires careful handling to avoid air bubbles and excess liquid.
Procedure
- Place a clean glass slide on a flat surface.
- Use a pipette to add a drop of your liquid sample (or place a dry specimen and then add a drop of water).
- Hold a coverslip with tweezers and lower it at an angle so one edge touches the liquid.
- Slowly lower the rest of the coverslip to avoid trapping air bubbles.
- Use the edge of a paper towel to gently absorb any extra liquid from the sides of the coverslip.
- Adjust with tweezers if needed, ensuring the coverslip is flat and stable.
Links
How To Prepare A Wet Mount Slide - Mr. Fox's Science Classroom:
📄 How to mount your own wet microscope slides - microscopes.com.au: https://microscopes.com.au/blogs/news/how-to-mount-your-own-wet-microscope-slides?srsltid=AfmBOopMbxBWLnmUteqXZqFdZJ5G00Pm9FBJIlyUBgw6qMYOcaxLVR8A
📄 Step-by-Step Procedures to Prepare Microscopic Slides - Rubicon Science: https://rubiconscience.com.au/preparing-microscopic-slides-wet-dry-and-heat-fixed/
Variations
- None
Safety Precautions
- Handle glass slides and coverslips carefully to avoid cuts.
- Dispose of biological samples properly.
- Clean the microscope lenses and stage after use.
Questions to Consider
- Why is it important to lower the coverslip at an angle? (It prevents air bubbles from forming under the coverslip.)
- What is an advantage of a wet mount slide compared to a permanent slide? (It allows viewing of living specimens in real time.)
- Why might you seal the coverslip to the slide? (To slow evaporation and keep the sample stable.)
- What might happen if you add too much water to the slide? (The specimen may move too much or drift out of focus.)