Purpose

:To observe the structure of plant cell with a light microscope.

Problem statement: How are plant cell looks like?
Hypothesis
: plant cell have a fix shape, it have a cell wall, large vacuole
membrane plasma, nucleus, and cytoplasm.
Material
: An onion bulb, iodine solution, distilled water
Apparatus
: Glass slides, cover slips, a scalpel, a pair of forceps, a light
microscope, a glass dropper, and filter papers.
Procedure:
1. Obtain a scale leaf from an onion bulb.
2. Using a pair of forceps, peel off the transparent epidermis from the inner surface
of the onion scale leaf.
3. Put a drop of water onto the middle of slide and place the epidermis on the drop
of water.
4. With the help of mounting needle, cover the specimen with a cover slip at a 450
angle. Make sure that there are no air bubbles are not trapped under the cover slip.
5. Add a drop of iodine solution onto one side of the cover slip. Place a filter paper
at the opposite end of the cover slip to allow the iodine solution to spread through
the epidermis.
6. Use a piece of filter paper to absorb the excess iodine solution.
7. Examine the slide under a light microscope using the low power objective lens
and then the high power objective lens.
8. Draw the epidermis and label the cell structures which can be observed. Record
the magnification used.
Observations: Draw and label the plant cell and animal cell.
Discussion:
1. Do plant cells have a fixed shape?
Yes
2. What are the structures that can be observed under the light microscope?
Vacuole, nucleus, cytoplasm, cell wall and plasma membrane.
3. What is the colour of the nucleus that is stained with iodine solution?
Brown.
4. Name one other plant cell that can be used in this activity to replace the onion
cell.
Hydrillia cell, Elodea leaf
Conclusion :
The plant has a fixed shaped. It have cell wall, membrane plasma, nucleus, cytoplasm,
and large vacuole. Certain plants have chloroplast.

B. Animal cell
1. Do human cheek cells have a fixed shape?
No, it have irregular shape.
2. What the colour of the cytoplasm and the nucleus that are stained with the
methylene solution and iodine solution?
3. Can you see any dark blue spots on the cheek cells?
Yes.
4. What are the cell structures that can be observed under the light microscope?
Nucleus, cytoplasma and plasma membrane.
5. How are plant and animal cells alike? What structures are present in the onion cell
but not present in the cheek cell?
Animal cell and plant cell have similarities and differences. Chloroplast, cell
wall and vacuole.
Conclusion:
The result of the experiment show that plant cell and animal cell do have
certain similarities and differences. Based on the evidence, we accept the
hypothesis that plant cell and animal cell have similarities and differences.