8) Lab Essentials : Glass Slides & Cover Slips

Microbiology Lab Essentials : 

8) Slides

a) Glass Slides,

b) Concave Slide,

c) Cover Slip 

Glass Slide :The Maltwood Finder Slide of 1858

One of the earliest references to a finder slide dates back to 1858 and was invented by Thomas Maltwood, who published his work in the Transactions of the Microscopical Society of London.

A glass slide is a thin, flat, rectangular piece of glass that is used as a platform for microscopic specimen observation.

a) A microscope slide is a thin sheet of glass used to hold objects for examination under a microscope.

The cover glass serves two purposes :

1) it protects the microscope's objective lens from contacting the specimen.

2) it creates an even thickness (in wet mounts) for viewing.

A typical glass slide usually measures 25 mm wide by 75 mm, or 1 inch by 3 inches long, and is designed to fit under the stage clips on a microscope stage.

b) Concave microscope slides have either one or two depressions. They are able to hold a larger amount of medium and thicker samples.

The slide might be slightly thicker. Concave slides are able to hold significantly more liquid compared to regular slides.

c) When viewing any slide with a microscope, a small square or circle of thin glass called a coverslip is placed over the specimen.

It protects the microscope and prevents the slide from drying out when it's being examined.