Now that I have a few new microscopes, I’d like students to be able to make their own, permanent, slide collections. Walter Dioni has some superbly detailed pages on how to mount samples for microscopy. I could not find a good, up-front, index, so for the record, here are his pages on mounting slides:
- Intro. to mounting with liquid media
- Solid media: Sucrose, glucose, fructose (Karo syrup) mounts
- More complex mixed mounting media (here and here)
- Gum arabic media
- Glycerin Jellies Mounting
- Nail Polish mount
Most of these methods use chemicals that are safe to work with (all are non-toxic), but using nail polish appears to be the easiest — it’s a mount and a sealant in one — so that’s the one I tried first, using a bottle of Strengthener, Nail Hardener. The Karo syrup, and glycerin methods also seem reasonably easy, and it may preserve some of the organic colors better so I may try those later when I have the time.
P.S.: Dioni also has a good page on pollen microscopy.