A prepared microscope slide could be one of the smallest things that a scientist gets to hold but it is definitely not insignificant.  An ordinary slide is about 3 inches by 1 inch in measurement and its thickness is about 1 millimeter.  A prepared microscope slide is a type of microscope slide that has been prepared for a more detailed purpose.  Primarily, prepared slides save the students or scientists time and effort.  Why?  Time can be saved because all you have to do is to buy a prepared slide and they’re good to observe immediately.  As for the effort that can be saved, well, you would no longer need to get an organism, slice a section of it, and then mount it properly onto the glass slide.  And what are the chances that the first trial would prove usable?

More and more companies that sell scientific apparatus and specimens now provide permanent microscope slides that were skillfully prepared, expertly stained, and perfectly embedded (with the thinnest slice possible).  As if those aren’t good news yet, they are also very affordable.

In the beginning, a microscope slide was made of bone or ivory with specimens being held by clear mica.  These were very famous in England back then until up until the Royal Microscopical Society paved the way for the microscope slide that was standardized.  The standard measurements are now the modern dimensions that are being used.  There are other sizes, though, which can be used for different unique purposes.

Before knowing the uses and the advantages or disadvantages of getting prepared microscope slides, it is important to be able to prepare one yourself.  What are the basic steps in preparing a simple microscope slide?  And once you get to know that, you would definitely appreciate all those prepared microscope slides that are readily available online!

Perhaps it is best to begin with the same materials that a scientist in the 1600’s experimented with.  To be able to study the lenticels of a cork, you would need the following:

1.    microscope slide (the plain glass type)
2.    cover slip
3.    razor blade or a very sharp knife
4.    water
5.    dropper
6.    tweezers
7.    and, of course, the cork

Procedure:

1.    Make a thin slice of the cork.  The thinner the slice, the better.
2.    Using a dropper, place a small drop of water at the center of the glass slide, making sure that the droplet of water is larger than the sliced cork.
3.    Gently place the cork on top of the droplet using your tweezers.  Make sure that when the cover slip is placed that no air bubbles develop.
4.    To avoid the slide from drying up, make sure to apply petroleum jelly around the edges of the cover slip.  Use tissue to wipe off excess water on the glass slide.
5.    With all of that done, your microscope slide should now be ready to view under the microscope.

Looking at the procedure of preparing just a simple, homemade microscope slide, you will now know why it is much better to just buy all those prepared slides out there.  For those who still prefer to do it on their own, there are slide making kits that can also be bought.  Although time and effort can be saved using prepared microscope slides, there are also disadvantages in using them.  Know the pros and cons:

1.    There are certain studies that require handling chemicals that are potentially dangerous.  For amateurs, prepared microscope slides could come in handy.  One instance where chemicals are needed is when diatoms are separated from adjoining detritus.
2.    There are some specimens that have to be dehydrated using alcohol.  In some cases, a microtome is used to provide the thinnest section of a certain organism.  With these tasks, again, prepared slides come in handy.
3.    The greatest reason that a scientist or a student should NOT use prepared microscope slides is the fact that learning is inhibited.  With prepared slides, students do not get the chance to do the slicing, embedding or staining by themselves.  Hence, the experience of actually learning the process of making glass slides is being passed by.

Well, the decision to use prepared slides is actually yours to make.  In fact, they are convenient, safe and are easy to acquire.  All you have to do is to go online and search for companies that offer them and you are on your way to a world of studying cells, organisms and other basic life forms.  And don’t forget the most important ingredient in each scientific study—fun.