January 29th, 2014

Making a slide
Plant cells can be seen using a light microscope.

You should be able to describe how to prepare a microscope slide of stained onion cells. Here is a typical method:

1. Cut open an onion
2. Use forceps to peel a thin layer ofepidermis from the inside
3. Lay the layer of epidermis on a microscope slide
4. Add a drop of iodine solution to the layer
5. Carefully place a cover slip over the layer

The iodine solution stains starch in the cells blue-black, making the cell features easier to see.