Cheek Cell Experiment

For this experiment you will need: An unused cotton bud A microscope A Slide A coverslip Some Methylene blue stain A dropping pipette Method Scrape the cells out of your mouth with a cotton bud using your finger to push against the cotton bud. Put the cells on the slide by gently rubbing the cotton bud against the slide ( Caution : Do not let the slide touch the desk as this will ruin your results). Add some Methylene Blue Stain to the slide (Do this over a sink as it can get messy!). Put a coverslip over the slide ( Caution : Be careful with the coverslip as they are very delicate and break extremely easily). Put the slide under the microscope. Focus the microscope on the 10x objective, then the 20x and 40x objectives. Draw a diagram of the cheek cell (Below). 8. Clear away all of the equipment used. Observations The cheek cell is found inside of the mouth on the cheek. It is a fairly simple cell consisting of a nucleus, cell membrane and cytoplasm. It is quite hard to get a good focus on the microscope but when you do it is an interesting cell to look at. It will fade away however, as the slide will steam up and the cell will disappear into the stain. This can be resolved by simply doing the experiment again. Discussion The cell is a difficult one to focus on as it is so small. The cheek cell is made out of squamous epithelium which is a substance that usually is a major element of flat cells. When I did the experiment the cells were difficult to see because they were stained to much and the slide was left on the desk for a short period of time, meaning I had many other cells as well as the cheek cells. I repeated the test 5 minutes later and I got very good results. The entire cell was clear to see and I only had it on the 20x objective. There was however, one fault in this process which cannot be overcome. This is that the light being generated from the microscope in order to see the cell, does make the Methylene Blue stain evaporate although there is a coverslip over it. This is annoying because it means whenever you finally get a good focus on the cell, the cell will disappear so you have to repeat the experiment and then you may not get another good focus on the cell. This is also a fault that cannot be overcome. I hope this write up on the experiment has helped you to do your experiment and evaluation of the cell. All you have to do is take a cotton bud and wipe it on your mouth by your cheek and take that and wipe it on a slide and put a cover slip on it ! Then put it under a microscope! and you are done, see how your cheek cells look! Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_do_a_cheek_cell_experiment#ixzz1Z3keLKW2

Cheek and Onion Cell Experiment The aim of this experiment will be to show that different cells have different structures and textures. Hypothesis I believe that viewing these different cell types under the microscope will show more detail and variations between the cells. Method Apparatus All apparatus was collected and setup as shown in the table below. CHEEK CELL ONION CELL Microscope Microscope Slide Slide Methylene Blue Iodine Spatula Microscopic Cover Slip Microscopic Cover Slip Forceps Forceps Tile Tile Cheek Cell

*A sample was taken using a spatula, gently scraping the inside of the cheek *The fluid from the spatula was then placed onto a slide and one drop of methylene blue was dropped onto the sample. *A microscopic cover slip was then placed o top of the sample using the forceps to avoid bubbles. *The sample was then viewed under the microscope at various magnification settings 4x10, 10x10 and 40x10, which can be seen on the following page. Onion Cell *A thin later was peeled from the inside of the onion (dull side) with the forceps. *The sample was then placed onto a slide, one drop of Iodine was dropped onto the sample and a microscopic cover slip placed on top. *The sample was then viewed under the microscope at various magnification settings 4x10, 10x10 and 40x10, which can be seen on the following page. *The onion cell structure looked like a cobble/snakeskin effect. Results The table below shows results of both cells viewed under the microscope at various magnification settings. SAMPLEMICROSCOPE SETTINGSCell MembraneCell WallCytoplasmNucleusVacuole Cheek4 x 10""" Cheek10 x 10""" Cheek40 x 10""" Onion4 x 10"" Onion10 x 10""" Onion40 x 10"""" Conclusion The experiment showed that a plant cell and human cell have some similarities, they differ in shape size and structure.

How Do Enzymes Work?

Purpose:
The purpose of this lab is to show how enzymes work. The enzymes in the fresh pineapple will break down the proteins (gelatin) in the Jell-O, as will the enzymes in the soap. The proteins are made of amino acids, which form chains. When these chains are cut apart by the pineapple enzymes, the Jell-O can no longer hold its shape.

How to prepare an onion cell slide

forceps, dye, pin, onion membrane, slide

Fig. 1

Microscope

Fig. 2

This activity is one of the first uses of an optical microscope that most school children encounter in a school biology lab. Onions are used because they have large cells that are easily visible under a student microscope. This experiment is normally performed by children between the ages of 11 and 14. An onion is made of many concentric layers. Each layer is separated by a thin skin or membrane. In this experiment you will make a slide and look at the cells of the membrane under a microscope.

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Take a small piece of onion and using forceps (tweezers) peel off the membrane from the underside (the rough side). Lay the membrane flat on the surface of a clean glass slide, and then add one drop of dye (iodine or methylene blue). Be very careful; these dyes will stain your skin and clothes. Using a pin, lower a thin glass cover slip onto the slide. Make sure there are no air bubbles. Put the slide onto the stage of the microscope. Make sure the objective lens is set on low power, and the microscope light is turned on. Look through the eyepiece lens and turn the focusing wheel until you can see the cells. They should look like lizard skin. Swap the objective lens for a high powered one so that you can see the cells at a greater magnification. You should be able to make out the nucleus.