staining

Question 1

explain why staining is useful in light microscopy?

Answer 1

enhances contrast of the image and highlights certain structures

Question 2

how does staining work in light microscopes?

Answer 2

• different cell structures take up stains to different degrees
• increase in contrast allows components to be visible clearly
• without staining, hard to differentiate structures as usually do not have a distinct color

Question 3

describe how to prepare a stained specimen

Answer 3

• place sample on slide and allow it to air dry
• heat-fix it by passing it through a flame - cell will not break down & specimen adheres to slide
• add the stain

Question 4

name 2 common stains

Answer 4

• iodine
• fuschin