ACTIVITY 4 (Experimental investigation):
To study an animal cell
Gently scrape the inside of your cheek with a
toothpick. Put the scraping on a glass slide.
Add a drop of methylene blue. This makes it
easier to see the cells under the microscope.
Place a coverslip on it and examine the slide
under a microscope. Draw the diagram of a
cheek cell as seen under the microscope and
label it.
Answers
Explanation:
To Prepare Stained Temporary Mount of Human Cheek Cells
Materials Required
Real Lab Procedure
Gently scrape the inner side of the cheek using a toothpick, which will collect some cheek cells.
Place the cells on a glass slide that has water on it.
Mix the water and the cheek cells using a needle and spread them.
Take a few drops of Methylene blue solution using a dropper and add this to the mixture on the slide.
After 2-3 minutes remove any excess water and stain from the slide using a blotting paper.
Take a few drops of glycerine using a dropper and add this to the test mixture.
Take a clean cover slip and lower it carefully on the mixture with the aid of a needle.
Using a brush and needle, press the cover slip gently to spread the epithelial cells.
Remove any extra liquid around the cover slip using a blotting paper.
Place this glass side on the stage of the compound microscope and view it.
Observations
A large number of flat and irregular-shaped cells are observed.
The cells do not have a cell wall. However, each cell has a thin cell membrane.
A deeply stained nucleus is observed at the centre of each cell.
No prominent vacuoles are observed in the cells.
Conclusion
As the cells observed do not have a cell wall, nor a prominent vacuole, the cells of the specimen on the slide are animal cells.
Answer:
to prepare stained temporary mount of human cells