Wet Mount Slide Preparation

1. A wet mount is one method used to prepare a specimen for analysis with the microscope. It uses the surface tension of water to hold a specimen in place under a coverslip. A wet mount can be used for preparing plant and animal specimens as well as specimens of other living things.

2. Begin the procedure by placing a drop of the water in the center of the glass slide using the water bottle.

3. Gently place a specimen in the water on the slide.

4. Obtain a coverslip.

5. To avoid air bubbles in the specimen, lower one end of the coverslip onto the slide. The end of the coverslip should be at the edge of the drop of water.

6. Allow the other end of the coverslip to fall into place on the slide.

7. Get ready to view the specimen under the compound microscope. Trapped bubbles can sometimes be removed simply by tapping or gently pushing down on the coverslip before transferring it to the microscope.