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BIOLOGY LABORATORY

REPORT 1

PRACTICAL 1: MICROSCOPY, CELL OBSERVATION

& OSMOSIS

Instructor: Bui Xuan Anh Dao

Class: Wednesday morning - Group 03 Date: 17/03/2021

Group member:

% contribution
Seq. Full name Student ID (total =100%) Signature Score

1 Le Thuy Truc BTFTIU20026 50%

2 Hoang Ngoc Khanh Van BTFTIU20126 50%

Score:_______

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I/ PLANT CELLS AND ANIMAL CELLS OBSERVATION

1. Introduction:
A cell is the simplest unit of life and they are responsible for keeping an organism
alive and functioning. Ever since the first microscope was used, biologists have
been interested in studying the cellular organization of all living things. There is a
massive variety of different types of cells. Every cell is different but there is a
basic structure that is common to all cells. All cells can be divided into one of two
classifications: cells that have membrane–bound structures are called eukaryotic
cells and cells that do not have membrane–bound structures are called
prokaryotic cells. Prokaryotic cells are found in bacteria and archaea. Eukaryotic
cells which contain structures called organelles that carry out life processes are
found in organisms from the domain Eukaryota which includes animals, plants,
fungi, and protists. Almost every different type of cell contains genetic material, a
membrane, and cytoplasm. Cells also have many other features such as
organelles and ribosomes that perform specific functions.

2. Procedure:
2.1. Plant Cells – Onion Epidermis Cells
1. Remove a piece of an onion leaf from a section of an onion bulb.
2. Break the piece of onion leaf in half to make the outer epidermis layer easy
to separate from the rest of the leaf.
3. Place the epidermis layer flat on a slide and use the forceps to spread the
epidermis on a slide as smoothly as possible. Try not to make the
observations be obscured by air bubbles and wrinkles.
4. Add a drop of water/Lugol solution and cover with a coverslip.
5. Observe the slide with the microscope. Try to locate a good region of the
epidermis with magnification 4x lens and 10x lens before observing details of
cell structure with higher magnifications up to 40x and then take photos.

2.2. Animal Cells – Human Cheek Cell Epithelium

1. Gently scrape the inside of the cheek with the broad end of a toothpick.
2. Wipe smear the cheek scrapings on a clean slide. Wrap the toothpick in a
dry paper towel and immediately dispose it into the waste container provided.
3. Make a wet mount of cheek cells by adding a drop of water/Lugol solution to
the slide.
4. Add a coverslip and observe the slide at a very low light intensity.
5. When locating some cheek cells, at 4x objective lens center them in the
field of view and move to the next power level (10x) for observation. Re-focus
and center cheek cells and view them with the high power (40x and 100x)
objective lens, then observe and take photos.

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 3. Results: Identify cellular membrane, nucleus and cytoplasm.
a. Plant cell (onion):
*With water:

Onion epidermis cell at 4x Onion epidermis cell at 10x Onion epidermis cell at 40x

*With Lugol solution:

Onion epidermis cell at 4x Onion epidermis cell at 10x Onion epidermis cell at 40x

*Drawings:

Onion epidermis cell at 4x Onion epidermis cell at 10x Onion epidermis cell at 40x

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 b. Animal cell:
*With water:

Animal cell at 4x Animal cell at 10x Animal cell at 40x

*With Lugol solution:

Animal cell at 4x Animal cell at 10x Animal cell at 40x

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*Drawings:
Animal cell at 4x Animal cell at 10x Animal cell at 40x

4. Discussion:

a. What is the function of Lugol solution in these experiments?

The function of Lugol solution in the experiments is that Lugol can prevent the light
through the cell and staining cell, we can observe the cells and nucleus easily,
clearly.

b. What is the difference between plant cells and animal cells?

The differences between plant cells and animal cells are followed below:

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* Plant cells: Generally have a fixed, regular shape
● The cell wall is present. ● Generally have an amorphous shape.
● The nucleus is present on one side ● The cell wall is absent.
of the cell. ● The ‘nucleus’ is present in the center
● There are few Mitochondria. of the cell.
● Have a large central vacuole. ● There are a large number of
● Do not have centrioles. Mitochondria.
● Do not have cholesterol in the membrane. ● Have a small temporary vacuole.
● Have centrioles.
Animal cells:
● Have cholesterol in the membrane.

II/ OSMOSIS IN PLANT CELLS

1. Introduction:
Osmosis is the movement of water molecules from a solution with a high
concentration of water molecules to a solution with a lower concentration of
water molecules, through a cell’s partially permeable membrane. There are
three different types of solutions that plant cells can be in: isotonic, hypotonic
and hypertonic. Different types of solutions have different impacts on cells due
to osmosis.
● An isotonic solution has the same concentration of solutes both inside
and outside the cell.
● In a hypotonic solution, there is a higher concentration of solutes inside
the cell than outside the cell. When this occurs, more solvent will enter
the cell than leave it to balance out the concentration of solute.
● A hypertonic solution is the opposite of a hypotonic solution; there is
more solute outside the cell than inside it. In this type of solution, more
solvent will exit the cell than enter it in order to lower the concentration
of solute outside the cell.

2. Procedure:
1. Use a scalpel to peel a thin epidermis layer (purple side) of the Zebrina
pendula leaf.
2. Put a small drop of 0.85% NaCl on a clean glass slide.
3. Place the peeled layer to the saline on the slide. Add a coverslip.
4. Examine the plant cells with the high-power lens (40x). Locate the region
where the cells are not too dense.
5. Add 2-3 drops of 5% NaCl to the edge of the coverslip. Observe the plant
cells and the changes (focus to the cellular content - purple area) that occur as
the more concentrated saline solution reaches them.

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 6. Make another sample by repeating from step 1 to step 4. This time put 2-3
drops of distilled water to the edge of the coverslip, instead of 5% NaCl.
Observe the plant cells and the changes (focus to the cellular content - purple
area) that occur as the less concentrated saline solution reaches them.

3. Results:
➢ When we put a small drop of distilled water on a thin epidermis layer
(purple side) of the Zebrina pendula leaf. We observed that the cellular
content - purple area, water molecules move into cells, causing the
cells to swell with purple plump cells.
➢ When we added 2-3 drops of 5% NaCl to the edge of the coverslip, it
occurred as a primary contraction - water from the cell went out causing
the cell to be shrunk with many tiny purples.
➢ When we put 2-3 drops of 0.85% NaCl to the edge of the coverslip,
instead of 5% NaCl, the concentration of the entering and leaving the
cell was equal with a spread of purple.

0,85% NaCl ⇢
5% NaCl

0.85% NaCl ⇢ Water

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*Drawings:
 0,85% NaCl 5% NaCl Water

4. Discussion:

a) Explain the phenomenon.

+ When we put a small drop of 0.85% NaCl on a thin epidermis layer (purple
side) of the Zebrina pendula leaf, that meant the solute concentration was less than
that of the intracellular, so the cellular content - purple area, water molecules moved
into cells, causing the cells to swell. It was called hypotonic.
+ When we added 2-3 drops of 5% NaCl to the edge of the coverslip, the
environment in which the solute concentration was greater than the intracellular
environment, so it led to the cell being shrunk. It was called hypertonic.
+ When we put 2-3 drops of distilled water to the edge of the coverslip,
instead of 5% NaCl, that meant a solution where the number of dissolved substances
inside was equivalent to the corresponding substances on the outside. It was called
isotonic.

b) When putting plant cells in concentrated NaCl, plasmolysis happened.

When putting animal cells in water, hemolysis occurred. What makes the
phenomenon in plant cells different from in animal cells?
Because plasmolysis is the process in which cells lose water (by the process
of osmosis) in a hypertonic solution, the cell shrinks away from the cell wall (leaving a
gap between them). Plasmolysis occurs only in plant cells and not in animal cells
because animal cells do not have cell walls. (plant cells have a cell wall in addition to
a cell membrane, whereas animal cells have only a cell membrane).
● Plant cell: The water moves into the cell as before, however, because
of the presence of the cell wall, the cell does not burst. This results in a
turgid cell, and the turgidity of the plant itself (as plants do not have a
skeletal system).
● Red blood cells placed in a solution with a higher water concentration
compared to their contents (e.g pure water) will gain water by osmosis,
swell up, and burst. Water will diffuse from a higher water concentration
outside the cell to a lower water concentration inside the cell.