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I have an old Nikon Alphaphot microscope that came with a 100x oil immersion objective, but no manual. I've seen plenty of sources that explain that you need to place a drop of oil between the slide and objective, but when I went to order immersion oil I discovered that there are several different types. There's Type A, Type B (apparently similar to Type A but more viscous), and a number of specialty types. My plan is to use the microscope for projects like looking at blood cells, pond water, and other high school science project-type investigations?

Which type of immersion oil is right for all around, general purpose use?

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For the best image (where you lose the fewest photons and get less refraction), you want the immersion oil to have a refractive index as close to the refractive index of the coverslip you intend to use. In my experience, this is not much of a consideration on the oil-side, but rather on the coverslip-side.

There is little difference between type A and B oil, although for other types of oil see here. If I were you, I would just use some type A.

For a lesson on the impact of immersion oil on optics, see this Zeiss website (similar sites for Nikon and other scope manufacturers exist too I'm sure!)

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