COMPOUNDMICROSCOPE

INTRODUCTION
COMPOUND MICROSCOPE Is an optical instrument which is used to obtain high magnification. It is an extension of the
magnifying glam which are used to see very small things. The magnifying power of a simple lens is very limited .It is difficult to
get magnification better than a few times without using a highly curved lens with a high refractive index. This kind of lens will
have a lot of aberrations that one can not see the image clearly. Therefore, we used two or more lenses which builds up the
compound microscope.

PRINCIPLE
A compound microscope works on the principle that when a tiny object to be magnified is placed just beyond the focus of its
objective lens ,a virtual inverted &highly magnified image of the object is formed at the least distance of distinct vision from the
eye hold close to the eye piece.

SKILL& MOTIVATION
WORKING OF THE COMPOUND MICROSCOPE
1) Microscope have a combination of lenses that enhances both magnifying powers as well as the
resolving power.
2) The specimen or object, to be examined is usually mounted on a transparent glass slide &
positioned the specimen stage between the condenser lens & objective lens.
3) A beam of visible light from the base is focused by a condenser lens onto the specimen.
4) The objective lens picks up the light transmitted by the specimen &creates a magnified image of
the specimen called the primary image image. inside the body tube. This image is again
magnified by the ocular lens or eyepiece.
5) When higher magnification is required, the nose piece is rotated after After. low power
focusing to being objective of a higher power(generally 45x) in line with the illuminated part of
the slide.
6) Occasionally very high magnification if required (e.g.for observing bacterial cell).in that case ,an oil
immersion objective lens(usually 100x)is employed.
7) The common light microscope is also called a bright.field microscope because the image is
produced amidst a brightly illuminated field.

( DIAGRAMOFCOMPOUNDMICROSCOPE)

HEAD
1)It is located at the top portion of the microscope

2)It contains eyepiece

BODYTUBE
Its long tube,which connect both eyepiece & objective lenes.

NOSEPIECE
1)Nosepiece is located at the bottom portion of bodytube.
2)Objective lenses are remain attached to it.
3)It can rotate to adjust the objective lens.

OBJECTIVE LENS
1)Compound microscopes contain different types of objective lens(10x,40x,100x).
2)These are located below the nosepiece.
3)Their lenses are closest to the specimen.

STAGE
1)The flat metal platform located above condenser &below the objective lens.
2)The slide of the test specimen is placed over it.

STAGECLIPS
1)It is above the stage
2)It holds the slide

BASE
It supports all the components of the microscope.

ARM
It connects the body tube &base of the microscope.

ILLUMINATOR
1)An illuminator is the light source of compound microscope.
2)It is a low voltage bulb, which is located below the stage.
INSTRUMENT HANDLING
Focusing the Microscope:

     Start by turning the revolving nosepiece (turret) so that the lowest power objective lens
is "clicked" into position. The lowest power objective is the shortest one. This objective is the
easiest to focus and center the image in the field of view.
     While looking at the objective lens and the stage from the side, turn the coarse focus knob
so that the stage moves upward toward the objectives. Move it as far as it will go without
touching the slide.
     Now, look through the eyepiece(s) and adjust the illuminator and diaphragm until you
attain the maximum, comfortable level of light.
     Slowly turn the coarse adjustment so that the stage moves down (away from the slide).
Continue until the image comes into broad focus. The turn the fine adjustment knob, as
necessary, for perfect focus.
     Move the microscope slide until the image is in the center of the field of view. Then
readjust the illuminator or diaphragm in order to attain the clearest image.
     Once you have attained a clear image, you should be able to change to a higher power
objective lens with only minimal use of the focusing adjustment. If you cannot focus on your
specimen, repeat the above steps and work from objective to objective until the higher power
objective lens is in place.
General Advice: You should check to see if your microscope has a rack stop. If it does not have
one, then be careful not to allow the objective lens to touch the slide as you may break the slide.
When using a monocular microscope, the correct technique is to look through the eyepiece with one
eye and keep the other eye open. Most new users, tend to close one eye. While many microscopists
do close one eye, you will help avoid eye strain by keeping both eyes open. Finally, remember!
When you view a specimen through a microscope, you are viewing an image through multiple
lenses. As a result, the image is upside down and back-to-front so when you move the slide to the
right, the image moves to the left and vice versa!

Care & Maintenance of Your Microscope: Your compound microscope will last a lifetime if cared
for properly and we recommend that you observe the following basic steps:

     When finished viewing , lower the stage, click the low power lens into position and
remove the slide.
     Switch off the microscope when not using.
     Avoid touching the glass part of the lenses with your fingers. Use only special lens paper
to clean the lenses.
     Dust is the number one enemy of a microscope so always keep your microscope covered
when not in use. When not in use for extended periods, replace the microscope in its box.
 USING A COMPOUND MICROSCOPE: Before using your microscope, thoroughly clean the oculars and
objectives with lens paper. Use a circular cleaning motion to avoid scratching the lens. When using the
microscope, keep your eyelashes from touching the ocular:because oil from your lashes will adhere to the
oculars and smear them. (Students should avoid wearing mascara in microscopy labs.) Thoroughly clean the
stage and microscope slides to prevent damage to the microscope.
Focusing 1. Clean the oculars and objectives using lens paper. 2. Cut out a letter "e" from a newspaper or
other printed page. Clean a microscope slide and prepare a wet mount of the letter, using the procedure
described below.

Add a drop of water to a slide