Methyl blue is a
chemical compound
A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...
with the
molecular formula
A chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, such as paren ...
C
37H
27N
3Na
2O
9S
3. It is used as a
stain
A stain is a discoloration that can be clearly distinguished from the surface, material, or medium it is found upon. They are caused by the chemical or physical interaction of two dissimilar materials. Accidental staining may make materials app ...
in
histology
Histology,
also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissue (biology), tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at large ...
, and stains
collagen
Collagen () is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix of the connective tissues of many animals. It is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up 25% to 35% of protein content. Amino acids are bound together to form a trip ...
blue in
tissue sections. It can be used in some
differential staining techniques such as
Mallory's trichrome stain and
Gömöri trichrome stain
Gömöri trichrome stain is a histological stain used on muscle tissue.
It can be used to test for certain forms of mitochondrial myopathy
Mitochondrial myopathies are types of myopathy, myopathies associated with mitochondrial disease. Adeno ...
, and can be used to mediate electron transfer in
microbial fuel cell
Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a type of bioelectrochemical fuel cell system also known as micro fuel cell that
generates electric current by diverting electrons produced from the microbial oxidation of reduced compounds (also known as fuel or ele ...
s. Fungal cell walls are also stained by methyl blue.
Methyl blue is also available in mixture with
water blue, under name
Aniline Blue WS, Aniline blue, China blue, or Soluble blue; and in a solution of
phenol
Phenol (also known as carbolic acid, phenolic acid, or benzenol) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile and can catch fire.
The molecule consists of a phenyl group () ...
,
glycerol
Glycerol () is a simple triol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, sweet-tasting, viscous liquid. The glycerol backbone is found in lipids known as glycerides. It is also widely used as a sweetener in the food industry and as a humectant in pha ...
, and
lactic acid
Lactic acid is an organic acid. It has the molecular formula C3H6O3. It is white in the solid state and it is miscible with water. When in the dissolved state, it forms a colorless solution. Production includes both artificial synthesis as wel ...
under the name
Lactophenol cotton blue (LPCB), which is used for microscopic visualization of fungi.
Chemistry
Methyl blue (
4-[Bis[4-[(sulfophenyl)aminohenyl">is[4-[(sulfophenyl)amino.html" ;"title="4-[Bis[4-[(sulfophenyl)amino">4-[Bis[4-[(sulfophenyl)aminohenylethylene]-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene]amino]-benzenesulfonic acid disodium salt) is distinctly different to methylene blue ([7-(dimethylamino)phenothiazin-3-ylidene]-dimethylazanium;chloride) in structure, function and uses, and must not be confused.
Its uses include staining histology samples for collagen, and for fungal structures.
See also
*
Potassium ferrocyanide
Potassium hexacyanidoferrate(II) is the inorganic compound with formula K4 e(CN)6�3H2O. It is the potassium salt of the coordination complex e(CN)6sup>4−. This salt forms lemon-yellow monoclinic crystals.
Synthesis
In 1752, the French chemi ...
*
Potassium ferricyanide
Potassium ferricyanide is the chemical compound with the formula K3 e(CN)6 This bright red salt contains the octahedral molecular geometry, octahedrally coordination compound, coordinated ferricyanide, e(CN)6− ion. It is soluble in wat ...
*
Methylene blue
Methylthioninium chloride, commonly called methylene blue, is a salt used as a dye and as a medication. As a medication, it is mainly used to treat methemoglobinemia. It has previously been used for treating cyanide poisoning and urinary trac ...
*
Egyptian blue
Egyptian blue, also known as calcium copper silicate (CaCuSi4O10 or CaOCuO(SiO2)4 (calcium copper tetrasilicate)) or cuprorivaite, is a pigment that was used in ancient Egypt for thousands of years. It is considered to be the first synthetic pig ...
*
Han Purple
*
Crystal violet
Crystal violet or gentian violet, also known as methyl violet 10B or hexamethyl pararosaniline chloride, is a triphenylmethane, triarylmethane dye used as a histological stain and in Gram staining, Gram's method of classifying bacteria. Crystal ...
*
Fluorescein
Fluorescein is an organic compound and dye based on the xanthene tricyclic structural motif, formally belonging to Triarylmethane dye, triarylmethine dyes family. It is available as a dark orange/red powder slightly soluble in water and alcohol. ...
References
{{Stains
Triarylmethane dyes
Staining dyes
Aromatic amines
Acid dyes