Guide
Experiments collection
On this page you will find some sample experiments to familiarise yourself with microscopy.
Have you just bought a Bresser microscope? I would now like to give you a few tips to help you gain a better insight into the wonderful world of microorganisms and crystals. For example, I will explain how to prepare objects so that you can view them with a microscope. The many experiments described should make you curious to continue observing with the microscope.
- Chemicals and corrosive liquids do not belong in the hands of children!
- Do not drink any chemicals!
- Clean hands thoroughly under running water after use!
How the object must be designed
You can use a magnifying glass to observe opaque objects, e.g. small animals, parts of plants, tissue, etc.. The light falls on the object to be observed, is reflected back from there and enters the eye through the magnifying lens.
However, you can use your microscope to examine transparent objects where the light from the mirror or light bulb shines through the opening of the specimen stage onto the specimen from below. From there it passes through the objective, the tube and then through the eyepiece of the microscope into your eye. This leads us to the conclusion that only transparent objects are suitable for examination with a microscope. Many small aquatic organisms, parts of plants and the finest animal components are transparent by nature, while others must first be given this property. We can make them transparent by pretreating them or penetrating them with suitable substances (media) or by cutting very fine slices from them (hand section, thin section) and then examining them. You can now find out how these methods are used.
How to make thin specimen sections
As I said before, you need to make the thinnest possible sections of an object so that they become transparent and can be observed with a microscope. Firstly, you need a simple candle. Put the wax from the candle in an old pot and heat it on the cooker until it has become liquid. Now dip the object into the liquid wax several times using tweezers.
After each dip, allow it to harden and then dip it again. When the wax around the object has completely hardened, you can make very fine sections of the object using the thin sectioning tool or a scalpel. These sections are placed on a microscope slide and covered with a cover glass.
The manufacture of preparations
There are two basic types of preparations. Permanent preparations and preparations with a limited shelf life.
Time-limited preparations
Temporary specimens are made from objects that you want to observe but do not want to include in your specimen collection. These preparations are only suitable for observation for a short time and are then destroyed. For time-limited preparations, place the object on a microscope slide with a cover glass over it. After observation, the slide and cover glass are cleaned. One of the secrets of good observation with a microscope is the use of clean slides and clean cover glasses. Stains would only interfere with observation.
Long-term preparations
How to prepare a dry object
First place the object in the centre of a clean microscope slide and cover it with a drop of glue (Gum-Media). Then place a cover glass on the object enclosed by the chemical. Press the cover glass lightly so that the glue spreads to the ends of the cover glass. You must now leave the preparation to harden for 2-3 days. Only then is the preparation really firmly bonded and you can use it.
Lubricating preparations
For a smear preparation, use the pipette to place a drop of the liquid to be observed (e.g. water from a puddle on a forest path) on one end of the slide. You can then spread the liquid using a second slide. Allow the substance to dry for a few minutes before observing.
Experiments
Objects:
- a small piece of paper from a daily newspaper with part of a black and white picture and a few letters
- a similar piece of paper from a magazine.
In order to be able to observe the letters and the images, you make a time-limited preparation of each object. Now set your microscope to the lowest magnification and use the preparation with the newspaper. The letters look frayed and broken because the daily newspaper is printed on rough, low-quality paper. Letters in the magazine appear smoother and more complete. The image of the daily newspaper consists of many small dots that appear somewhat dirty. The image dots (halftone dots) of the illustrated newspaper image are sharply defined.
Objects:
- a small piece of colourful printed newspaper,
- a similar piece of paper from a magazine.
Time-limited preparations are made of the objects and observed at the lowest magnification. The coloured pixels of the daily newspaper often overlap. Sometimes you can even see two colours on one dot. When looking at the coloured image of the magazine, the dots appear sharp and rich in contrast. Note the different sizes of the pixels.
Objects and accessories:
- Threads from various textiles (e.g. cotton, linen, wool, silk, artificial silk, nylon, etc.)
- two needles
Each thread is placed on a glass slide and defibred with the help of the needles. The threads are moistened and covered with a cover slip. The microscope is set to a low magnification. Cotton fibres are of plant origin and look like a flat, twisted ribbon under the microscope. The fibres are thicker and rounder at the edges than in the middle. Cotton fibres are basically long, collapsed tubes. Linen fibres are also of plant origin, they are round and run in a straight direction. The fibres shine like silk and have countless swellings on the fibre tube. Silk is of animal origin and consists of solid fibres of smaller diameter in contrast to the hollow plant fibres. Each fibre is smooth and even and has the appearance of a small glass rod. Wool fibres are also of animal origin, the surface consists of overlapping sheaths that appear broken and wavy. If possible, compare wool fibres from different weaving mills. Note the different appearance of the fibres. Experts can determine the country of origin of the wool from this. Artificial silk is, as the name suggests, man-made through a long chemical process. All fibres show hard, dark lines on the smooth, shiny surface. The fibres curl after drying in the same condition. Observe the similarities and differences.
Objekts:
gewöhnliches Tafelsalz.
Zuerst gibst Du einige Körnchen Salz auf einen Glas-Objektträger und beobachtest die Salzkristalle mit der niedrigsten Vergrößerung Deines Mikroskops. Die Kristalle sind kleine Würfel und sind in der Form alle gleich.
Object and accessories:
- Table salt ,
- Test tube half-filled with hot water,
- Cotton thread,
- Paper clip,
- Match or pencil.
Add enough salt to the water until it no longer dissolves. We have now obtained a saturated salt solution. Wait until the water has cooled down. Attach the paper clip to one end of the cotton thread and use it as a weight. Tie the other end of the cotton thread into a bow, stick the match through it and dip the whole thing into the salt solution. The match is placed horizontally over the opening of the test tube and prevents the cotton thread from slipping into the test tube. The jar is now placed in a warm place in the home for 3-4 days. If we look at the glass again after a few days, we will see that a whole colony of salt crystals has formed on the cotton thread.
- Prawn eggs,
- Sea salt
- Gross bank
- Yeast.
The life cycle of the saltwater shrimp The saltwater shrimp or ‘Artemia salina’, as it is called by scientists, goes through an unusual and interesting life cycle. The eggs produced by the females are hatched without ever having been fertilised by a male shrimp. The shrimps hatched from these eggs are all females. Under unusual circumstances, e.g. when the swamp dries out, male shrimps can hatch from the eggs. These males fertilise the eggs of the females and the mating results in special eggs. These eggs, known as ‘winter eggs’, have a thick shell that protects the egg. The winter eggs are very resilient and remain viable even if the swamp or lake dries up, causing the death of the entire shrimp population. They can remain in a ‘dormant’ state for 5-10 years. The eggs hatch when the right environmental conditions are restored. You will find such eggs in your microscope set.
Hatching the saltwater shrimp
The saltwater shrimp under the microscope