Red Onion Cell Lab

General Biology (BI131 01)

The Cell
Structure and function

Abstract

In this lab the structures of various cells were viewed through a compound microscope. The bacteria in yogurt was viewed a long with a slice of potato, and a thin skin of red onion. The potato was dyed with iodine while the red onion was dyed with methane blue. The students had to assemble the first three slides. Two more slides were provided these are the yeast and protozoa cells. Those two are also viewed with the same microscope.

Introduction Cytology is the study of cellular structure and function. “The cell nucleus is a complex and highly dynamic environment with many functionally specialized regions of substructure that form and maintain themselves in the
In this section there are five different slides that are to be viewed. Three of which the student must put together their selves. In the bacteria lab the student places a tiny dab of yogurt on a microscope slide. Gently, the student mixes that small dab with some water carefully adding the cover slip to examine it. Placed on the high power objective the structure of the bacteria is examined. For the Onion cells the students cut a red onion into eighths removing a fleshy leaf snapping it backward removing the thin piece of inner epidermis formed at the break point. Then placing the epidermal tissue on a microscope slide, stain the onion piece with methane blue afterwards add the cover slip then examine the vacuole surrounded by the stained part. Lastly for the Examining the amyloplasts, students took a razor blade and cut an extra thin slice of potato carefully placing it on a microscope slide. Carefully one small drop of iodine is added to stain the potato before the cover slip is placed onto