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bio majors, got microscope question

I got a used microscope on ebay, its in very sweet conditiion but no immersion oil

If I want to watch pollen tubes grow, will I even need the 100x objective lens (1000x power) with immersion oil?

If so, is one immersion oil pretty much as good as another?

I've already ordered some blank slides and cover slips.... just wondering if I should now try to get some oil. I didnt know I needed it till I started reading on the proper operation of scopes.

ugh, I hate learning curves LOL

Thanks in advance,
Av
 
It's been several decades since I've done histology but this web page should tell you what you want to know, specifically:

The most powerful lens of the light microscope is the 100x oil immersion objective. Because light is refracted every time it passes through a medium with a different refractive index, (air to glass or vice versa) the quality of the image is reduced with each passage. Thus, by reducing the number of such passages to a minimum, the clarity, brilliance and resolving power is preserved...

...Immersion oil has been formulated so that it has a refractive index identical to that of glass.

Oils may be the same in having the same refractive index as glass but they may differ in shelf life, usable temperatures, drying out, etc.
 
hehehe.... so i knew the answer, just didnt know i did till cpsammich told me i did

:)
 
It's been several decades since I've done histology but this web page should tell you what you want to know, specifically:

ohhhh that is a keeper, ive read a couple refs that say to clean the oil up with xylene.... but omg is the lens coating ok with xylene?

i guess it is, but sheesh.... that just seems wrong LOL
 
Don't know about xylene on the lens, we'd just wipe the oil off with kimwipes. Xylene was used to clean the slides prior to coating them with gel and to clean up any of the mounting fluid if you got sloppy.
 
unfamiliar with "kimwipes".... but i assume its a pretreated lens tissue sorta like a wet one?
 
Kimwipes = lint free paper towels. You've probably seen the little green and white boxes in just about every lab. Indispensable for laboratory work, along with parafilm and blue pads. They feel to rough to me to use on coated optics but people use them any way.
 
  • #10
ahhhh.... kk

coffee filters (hillbilly replacement)
 
  • #11
@av8: no. dont think coffee filters will do it...kimwipes are very thin...almost with the consistency of cheap tissue, but holds together, and doesnt create scratches.
 
  • #12
lens-cleaning tissues at a camera shop are similar to kim-wipes . . .
 
  • #13
ahh i got those in camera bag.... guess the residue isnt too big of issue if you always use the oil with the 100x objective

so mainly just getting the bulk of it of
 
  • #14
ahh i got those in camera bag.... guess the residue isnt too big of issue if you always use the oil with the 100x objective

so mainly just getting the bulk of it of

Righto. One job I had at a college lab was maintaining the scopes -- epsecially after the sub-idiots used immersion oil on the regular objectives. Polar solvents and kim-wipes.

High as a kite but effective . . .
 
  • #15
is there much diff in oils?

I see it on ebay from like 5 bucks for brand z to 25 bucks for nikon brand
 
  • #16
I guess they have a "delicate" grade now. They didn't back in the days when I was in the lab... you sure wouldn't want to use the regular stuff as toilet paper.
 
  • #17
well ill wait on the oil, the growiing pollen tube page says ill be using 40x... so im covered for now, but next time i order from scientific supply, ill get me some and the kimwipes


going to be an interesting project :D
 
  • #18
Make sure you get the proper thickness cover slips. If I remember correctly, it does matter. Don't know where to point you for the answer. Just remembering college days 40 years ago.
 
  • #19
another noob question that occured to me while pondering the application of immersion oils....

What keeps the cover slip from sliding when you use immersion oil.... seems as though the viscosity/lubricity of the oil would cause the slip to slide given the opportunity?
 
  • #20
another noob question that occured to me while pondering the application of immersion oils....

What keeps the cover slip from sliding when you use immersion oil.... seems as though the viscosity/lubricity of the oil would cause the slip to slide given the opportunity?

In the past we've only used immersion oils on permanent slides that we made (stained and non-stained) but it sounds like you're looking to use immersion on a non-permanent slide. I've heard of people applying dabs of petroleum jelly to the slide then pressing the coverslip down. The slides isn't permanent but does last a couple days and shouldn't move around. If you have the material I would consider creating a permanent slide, requires little time and materials and saves you the prep time each time. Plus you can easily use immersion oil over and over on it.

You may already know this but for the sake of saving you a possible heartache and pricey lens. Never use soap to clean your oil immersion lens. Just wipe it clean with something like a kim-wipe so as to not scratch it. Good find btw, dissecting scopes open an entirely new visual world as well. Good luck

EDIT: Ah just saw Dave and Amph already mentioned Kim-wipes, you're well covered mate.
 
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