Practical 1.

2
Preparing a slide of human cheek cells

Safety
Wear eye protection.
Take care when using sharps.
The disinfectant is an irritant. If it contacts the skin, wash off immediately with plenty of water.
Take care when using mains-operated microscopes with water or solutions.
Wash hands after handling biological material.

Apparatus and materials

• microscope • filter paper
• calibrated eyepiece graticule • cotton bud
• slides and cover slips • small beaker of disinfectant
• forceps • 0.1% methylene blue solution
• mounted needle • eye protection
• dropping pipette

Introduction
In this practical, you will:
• make a temporary preparation of human cheek cells
• stain the cells so that you can see structures within them
• set up a light microscope and use it to make observations and measurements
• make a drawing of the cheek cells
• use an eyepiece graticule to measure the size of the cells.

Procedure
1 Use a clean cotton bud to gently scrape some material from the lining inside one of your cheeks.
Smear the material onto a clean dry slide and immediately put the cotton bud into a beaker of
disinfectant.
2 Place two drops of methylene blue solution onto the material on the slide. Place a cover slip over
the stain and lower the cover slip gently onto the specimen using a mounted needle. Use a piece of
filter paper to absorb excess stain. Place some filter paper over the cover slip and gently press to
flatten the specimen.
3 Place the slide on the stage of the microscope and use the high-power objective to select three cells
that are clearly visible in your field of view. Make a large, labelled drawing of these cells.
4 Use the eyepiece graticule that you calibrated in Practical 1.1 to measure the diameter of one of the
cells that you have drawn. Now measure the same cell in your drawing. Calculate the
magnification of your drawing, using the formula:

Cambridge International AS and A Level Biology © Cambridge University Press 2014 1

 Remember that both lengths must be measured in the same units e.g. micrometres, (m). Write the
magnification underneath your drawing.
5 When you have finished with your slide, place it in the beaker of disinfectant.

Cambridge International AS and A Level Biology © Cambridge University Press 2014 2