Laboratory practice No.

1
Observe onion skin cells
1.- Objective: Check the shapes and parts of the cells of the epidermis of an onion

2.- Materials:
- Microscope
- Blade
- Onion
- Slide
- Coverslip
- Methylene blue

3.- Development:
 Cut the onion into 4 pieces and select one of the
middle leaves or wrappers. We section it with the blade and pull carefully to
extract a very thin skin.
 Place the sample on the slide, and add a drop of methylene blue. Let the excess
drain and cover with the coverslip.
 Observe cells with different objectives.
 Write down and draw what you see in your notebook.

4.- Questions:

Is it a cell or a set of cells? ____________________________________

What is the general shape of each cell? ____________________________________

5.- Compare:

- The cells of the epidermis of onion with that of garlic and lettuce.
- Write what differences there are.

6.- Precautions:
- You are using a very delicate material. Be careful with slides and coverslips,
they are very thin glass and can break easily.
- Always keep the place where you practice clean.
- The eyepiece should be cleaned at the beginning and end of a practice. You must
do it by passing it with absorbent paper only once.

7.- Other similar practices

- Observation of the tomato epidermis.
- Observation of the lettuce epidermis.
- Observation of the inner epidermis of the mouth.
- Observation of a speck of dust.
- Observation of a drop of water from a pond.