Oat Grass Under The Microscope.

Today I thought I would test out making my own permanent slide using clear nail polish. I was told using clear nail polish is a easy way to make your own permanent slide. So I borrowed my mum's clear top coat nail polish to try out. My specimen for today was Soju's favourite weed....hehehe no not catnip but oat grass!

I stole a blade of oat grass from Soju and cut out two sections from the two different ends so we could compare. First I placed a dab of clear nail polish onto the slide then place the specimen on top. Next I placed another dab of clear nail polish on the cover slip and placed the slip (nail polish side down) onto the specimen and pressed down.

I noticed it would not stay flat as it requires time for the nail polish to dry. Instantly I knew this will affect our imaging.

I could also see air bubbles forming after I release the pressure on the cover slip. Lucky I didn't buy a new clear nail polish yet. I might go do some research and see if I can find a fast drying one.

The first picture above is at 64x magification, left image is the tip of the blade & the right is the bottom of the grass blade. We can already see a big difference in the amount of chloroplast.

Here above are images at 160x magnification, we can see the chloroplast more clearly, however due to the specimen not staying flat when I made it, the image is not as clear.

Here images above are at 640x magnification, we can see better detail on the tip of the blade than the bottom due to the tip being more flatter. I didn't think it was worth going to the next magnification because lets face it, the slide I prepared was not good enough.

I just checked my prepared slides again and I can see white cloudy parts around the specimen. Most likely due to the acetate in the nail polish. Also my specimen is dying! It is no longer bright green. 😭

Here is a cross section of a wheat leaf from a prepared slide. Obviously I couldn't make one out of the oat grass, so the next closest thing to it is wheat. Say hello to the smiley face. The face is made from xylem and phloem, together they make a bundle sheath. Xylem and Phloem are like tunnels, they transport water and nutrients. I can't remember which was which, but I think xylem was for water and phloem nutrients. Maybe I ought to bring out my old school books to see what I wrote. So much for my good memory.

Anyways, I must look for a better clear nail polish, maybe something with some resin in it and dries quick. Does anyone have any suggestions? I don't use nail polish so I don't know much about it.