Fig. 7: The Refractive Index of Immersion Oil

Photograph of a bottle of immersion oil with the dropper filled with air. The air can be easily seen inside the glass dropper. The air has a refractive index of 1.00 while the oil has a refractive index of 1.52.

Immersion oil used for microscopy has the same refractive index as glass, meaning it behaves optically as if it was glass. This is a bottle of immersion oil with the dropper filled with air. The air has a refractive index of 1.00 while the oil has a refractive index of 1.52.

(Go to Fig. 4)

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Microbiology Laboratory Manual by Gary E. Kaiser, PhD, Professor of Microbiology
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Last updated: Nov., 2022