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Evaluation of distilled water as a mountant in the slide preparation for phytolith identification


Affiliations
1 Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara 390 005, India, India
 

Microscopy is a critical component in phytolith research. To identify and count distinct morphotypes, phytoliths extracted from sediments are mounted on microscopy slides and observed under a microscope. The mounting material used to adhere the samples to the slides affects visibility and image quality. Mountants are chosen depen­ding on whether a temporary or permanent slide is requi­red. Benzyl benzoate, microscopy immersion oil, glycerol and distilled water are a few temporary mountants used for phytolith analysis. In the present study, we evaluate the efficiency of distilled water as a temporary mountant with regard to viewing efficiency, image clarity and ability of rotation of phytoliths

Keywords

Archaeobotany, distilled water, microscopy, mountant, phytolith.
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  • Evaluation of distilled water as a mountant in the slide preparation for phytolith identification

Abstract Views: 282  |  PDF Views: 141

Authors

Rajalakshmi Karakulam
Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara 390 005, India, India
K. Krishnan
Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara 390 005, India, India

Abstract


Microscopy is a critical component in phytolith research. To identify and count distinct morphotypes, phytoliths extracted from sediments are mounted on microscopy slides and observed under a microscope. The mounting material used to adhere the samples to the slides affects visibility and image quality. Mountants are chosen depen­ding on whether a temporary or permanent slide is requi­red. Benzyl benzoate, microscopy immersion oil, glycerol and distilled water are a few temporary mountants used for phytolith analysis. In the present study, we evaluate the efficiency of distilled water as a temporary mountant with regard to viewing efficiency, image clarity and ability of rotation of phytoliths

Keywords


Archaeobotany, distilled water, microscopy, mountant, phytolith.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv123%2Fi9%2F1152-1158