Lab Skills – Microscopy

1. General information
2. Safety
   1. Personal Safety
   2. Safe Handling of the Equipment
3. Equipment & Materials
   1. Compound Microscope
   2. Stereo Microscope
   3. Microscope Slides
   4. Cover Slips
4. Techniques
   1. Using a Light Microscope
      1. Using the Condenser
   2. Cleaning a Microscope
   3. Slide Preparation
      1. Wet Mount
      2. Smears
      3. Sections
      4. Whole Mounts
      5. Applying a Cover Slip
   4. Using Immersion Oil
5. Specialized Techniques
   1. Darkfield
   2. Phase-contrast
6. More in this Series

General information

Microscopy is a general technique that is used in many laboratory situations. There are many specialized techniques for preparing and visualizing specimens. Many biological specimens are difficult to see without staining. However, staining often kills the specimen and therefore, specialized microscopy techniques have been developed to enable visualization without staining.

Safety

Personal Safety

Depending on the specimens you are using, there may be risk of exposure to chemicals and pathogens.

Some fixation and staining techniques also risk exposure to toxic chemicals.

There are risks of cuts from scalpel or microtome blades or from broken glass.

Safe Handling of the Equipment

The microscope is a precision piece of equipment and care must be taken in handling the microscope to prevent damage, misalignment, or contamination. Two hands should always be used to care the microscope. Special cleaning techniques should be used on the lens to avoid damaging them.

Equipment & Materials

Compound Microscope

Stereo Microscope

Microscope Slides

Microscope Slides – Types, Uses and Functions and Pictures

Microscope slides are used to hold a specimen. Slides often have one side of one end that is frosted. This indicates which side of the slide is “up”. The frosted area can also be used to label the slide.

Some slides have a depression or concavity. These enable visualization of slightly larger specimens and allow movement of smaller specimens.

Cover Slips

Most of the time, a specimen is examined on a slide with a cover slip. A cover slip helps keep the specimen in place, protects the specimen from contaminating the lens, and keeps the specimen flat.

There are two main types of cover slips: rectangular or square and round.

Rectangular and square cover slips are more common and cheaper. Round ones are often used for permanent mounts, but they are more expensive.

A cover slip is sometimes called a cover glass, although some cover slips are made of plastic.

Techniques

Using a Light Microscope

Using the Condenser

Cleaning a Microscope

Slide Preparation

Wet Mount

Smears

Sections

Often tissue samples must be embedded in paraffin and then sectioned with a microtome.

Whole Mounts

Applying a Cover Slip

Using Immersion Oil

Specialized Techniques

Darkfield

Phase-contrast

More in this Series

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  Lab Skills – Dissection
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• Lab Skills – Microscopy
  Microscopy is a basic lab skill used frequently in biology, but also in geology, material science, and engineering. This post, part of the Lab Skills series, reviews basic equipment and techniques used in microscopy.
• Lab Skills – Microbiology
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