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Merck
CN

94635

Gram′s safranin solution

suitable for microscopy

Synonym(s):

Safranin T solution

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About This Item

Empirical Formula (Hill Notation):
C20H19ClN4
CAS Number:
477-73-6
Molecular Weight:
350.84
UNSPSC Code:
12171500
NACRES:
MA.02
PubChem Substance ID:
329770368
MDL number:
MFCD00011759
Beilstein/REAXYS Number:
3924099

Key Documents

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Product Name

Gram′s safranin solution, suitable for microscopy

InChI

1S/C20H18N4.ClH/c1-12-8-17-19(10-15(12)21)24(14-6-4-3-5-7-14)20-11-16(22)13(2)9-18(20)23-17;/h3-11H,1-2H3,(H3,21,22);1H

SMILES string

[Cl-].Cc1cc2nc3cc(C)c(N)cc3[n+](-c4ccccc4)c2cc1N

InChI key

OARRHUQTFTUEOS-UHFFFAOYSA-N

form

liquid

shelf life

limited shelf life, expiry date on the label

composition

ethanol, 10%

technique(s)

microbe id | staining: suitable

color

red to very dark red

refractive index

n20/D 1.339

solubility

water: soluble at 20 °C

density

0.986 g/mL at 20 °C

εmax

4.0 at 532 nm in 50% ethanol

suitability

suitable for microscopy

antibiotic activity spectrum

Gram-negative bacteria
Gram-positive bacteria

application(s)

diagnostic assay manufacturing
hematology
histology

storage temp.

room temp

Quality Level

100

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Application

Gram’s safranin solution has been used in the following applications:
  • as a non-toxic replacement for crystal violet for the quantification of biofilm formation
  • to develop a hyaluronic acid visualization method
  • to study improved β-lactam susceptibility against biofilm-embedded staphylococcus aureus by 2-aminothiazole

Biochem/physiol Actions

Gram staining enables the differentiation of bacteria into Gram-positive and Gram-negative. The mureine structure of the bacterial cell wall is the basis of the color affinity. Bacteria are first stained with crystal violet, and then with iodine solution, which forms a dye-iodine complex. This complex is retained in the multi-layer mureine structure of the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria after decolorization, imparting a blue-violet color. The cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria comprises a single-layered murein structure that does not retain the dye-iodine complex, allowing the uptake of safranine counterstain, and imparting a pink-red color.

Features and Benefits

  • Ready-to-use solution.
  • Modified and designed in such a way that staining can be carried out in staining cells, on the staining rack, and in automated staining systems.

General description

Gram’s safranin solution, also known as Safranin T or Basic Red 2, is a ready-to-use staining solution that comprises 10% safranin in ethanol. Safranin is a basic, cationic, azine dye containing a planar, diaminophenazine chromophore, with a phenyl substituent attached to a ring nitrogen. The trimethyl cationic form of safranine is lipophilic, whereas the dimethyl forms are weakly hydrophilic. It is most notably used in bacteriology as a counterstain in Gram staining to differentiate between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

pictograms

Flame
GHS02

signalword

Warning

hcodes

H226

Hazard Classifications

Flam. Liq. 3

Storage Class

3 - Flammable liquids

wgk

WGK 2

flash_point_f

114.8 °F

flash_point_c

46 °C

ppe

Eyeshields, Faceshields, Gloves, type ABEK (EN14387) respirator filter

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Certificates of Analysis (COA)

Lot/Batch Number
BCCN4100
BCCM8024
BCCL8947
BCCK9963
BCCK2804

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Improved ?-Lactam Susceptibility Against ica-Dependent Biofilm-Embedded Staphylococcus aureus by 2-Aminothiazole
Sahra Kirmusaoglu
Clinical Laboratory (2020)
Katarzyna A Wygladacz et al.
Clinical ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.), 10, 1423-1433 (2016-08-25)
Biotrue multipurpose solution (MPS) is a bioinspired disinfecting and conditioning solution that includes hyaluronic acid (HA) as a natural wetting agent. Previous studies demonstrated that HA sorbed from Biotrue MPS on both conventional and silicone hydrogel (SiHy) contact lens materials;
Conn's Biological Stains
Kiernan & Horobin
Conn?s Biological Stains (2002)
Quantification of biofilm biomass by staining: Non-toxic safranin can replace the popular crystal violet
Ommen, et al.
Journal of Microbiological Methods, 141, 87-89 (2017)
Visualization of a hyaluronan network on the surface of silicone-hydrogel materials
Katarzyna A Wygladacz, Daniel J Hook
Clinical Ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.) (2016)
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