MY FIRST MICROSCOPE EXPERIMENT

Our world is teeming with tiny microorganisms that are invisible to us unless viewed under a microscope. My interest in biology was not confined to what we could just see – it spread, of course, to what I couldn’t see through naked eye. This yearning to be able to see microbes under the microscope at any time I wanted drove me to buy a microscope. I got my microscope when I was in eighth grade.

I decided to first perform the onion peel experiment. I chose it for its simplicity in preparing the slide. Here is the procedure I followed-

1. Cut an onion into medium sized pieces and place them in a watch glass filled with water.
2. Remove a translucent and thin epidermis from the upper layer of an onion piece. Carefully place this epidermis on the slide using forceps.
3. Using a dropper, put about 2-3 drops of safranin dye on the epidermis. Allow this setup to rest for about 5 minutes.
4. Carefully place a cover slip on the epidermis. Remove excess solution using blotting paper.

Here are my observations after viewing the slide under a microscope-

1. There are a large number of regularly shaped cells lying side by side, much like the arrangement of bricks. Cells obtain their shape due to the rigidity of the cell wall.
2. A distinct nucleus is present on the periphery (edges) of each cell ( an alternate experiment can be performed to view the nucleus using acetocarmine solution).
3. Each cell has, within its cell wall, lightly stained cytoplasm.

Here is a picture of my experiment –