Examining Plant and Animal Cells

Purpose: To examine the basic structure of a plant and animal cell.

Materials:
Per person
2 glass slides
2 slide covers
1 toothpick

Per table:
Microscope (2)
Paper towel pieces
Methylene Blue Stain
Iodine Stain
Paper towels
Petri dishes for drawing circles.

Safety: Wear aprons due to use of stains. Gloves are optional

Hypothesis: What do you expect to see (structurally) when you look at your
cheek cell and an onion cell under the microscope?

Procedure:
Part 1 – Cheek cells (animal)
1. Gently scrape the inside of your cheek with a toothpick. You may
not be able to see anything on the toothpick but cells are there.
2. Place one drop of water on a slide and mix the scrapings with the
drop of water. Cover the mixture with a cover slip. Observe in
low power but do not draw. Can you see the cells? Take the slide
off the microscope.
3. Place a drop of methylene blue stain near the edge of the cover slip
and place a small piece of paper towel to the opposite edge of the
cover slip – this will draw the stain under the cover slip and stain
the cells.
4. DRAW several cells and LABEL the organelles that you can
identify. Use either low, medium or high power to get the best
view. Remember to title your drawing and include your total
magnification.
Part II Onion Cells (plant)
1. Remove a thin piece of onion epidermal tissue from the inner
surface of the onion.
2. Place one drop of water on a slide and place the onion skin flat in
the water. Cover with a cover slip. Observe in low power but do
not draw.
3. Take the slide off the microscope and place a drop of iodine stain
near the edge of the cover slip using a piece of paper towel.
4. DRAW several cells and LABEL the organelles that you can
identify. Use either low, medium or high power to get the best
view.

Observations and Analysis Questions - In lab notebooks in complete sentences

1. What is the general shape of the onion cells? The cheek cells?
2. Explain why you stained the cells?
3. When staining the cells, which part of the cell stains darker than the
other parts?
4. Based on your drawings, which type of cell is larger, plant or animal?
Explain your answer.
5. What differences can you see between the animal and plant cells?
What structures do they have in common? Give at least 2 for each.

Conclusion
Briefly summarize the experiment/restate the objective. Restate your
hypothesis. Was your hypothesis supported or refuted? Why or why not?
Include data in your explanation if applicable.