AYVEE H.

ESTELEYDES JULY 22, 2019

BIOTECHNIQUES
Laboratory Activity
SLIDE PREPARATION

I. Introduction

Wet mount is the second most basic technique in slide preparation. It is used for aquatic
samples, living organisms and natural observations, wet mounts suspend specimens in fluids
such as water, brine, glycerin and immersion oil. Although wet mounts can be used to prepare a
significantly wide range of microscope slides, they provide a transitory window as the liquid will
dehydrate and living specimens will die. Organisms such as protozoa may only live 30 minutes
under a wet mount slide; applying petroleum jelly to the outer edges of the cover slip creates a
seal that may extend the life of the slide up to a few days.

Objectives

To learn how to make a wet mount slide

II. Materials

Microscopes Plant sample (skin, stem, leaf, pollen)

Water Tweezers
Slides Cover slips
Dropper Paper Towels
Purple Stain

Methods

 Peel the delicate transparent tissue from the inner surface of a piece of onion using forceps
(tweezers).
 Make a wet mount by placing the tissue, unwrinkled, in a small drop of water on a glass
slide.
 Add one small drop of purple stain to the tissue and cover with a cover slip as directed.
 Examine the specimen at low power, focus as necessary.
 Next examine the specimen at medium and high power.
 Prepare a diagram of the specimen tissue showing three to four cells.

III. Results

Onion Skin Mayana Stem Daisy Pollen

IV. Discussion

Quick preparation:
specimen fixation and dehydration are not necessary.
For this reason, wet mounts are the first kind of mounts that we, students, learn to make.
Living and moving:
It is possible to observe living organisms. It is also possible to observe certain processes
of life, such as feeding, cell division etc.
Natural colors:
The colors are natural and not faded.
Movement:
Due to the thinness of the specimen, it swims in the water; it may be more difficult to
take pictures.
Evaporation:
The heat of the lamp causes the water to evaporate more quickly. More water must be
added under the cover glass from time to time.
Focus:
Some specimen may swim vertically in the water and therefore move in and out of focus.
Here it is important not to use too much or too little water. Too little water may squeeze
the specimen between cover glass and slide.