What is the function of the stains used in negative staining?
Understand the Problem
The question asks about the function of stains in negative staining, a technique used in microbiology.
Answer
The stain's function in negative staining is to create a dark background around the cell, leaving the cell clear.
In negative staining, the stain's function is to create a dark background around the cell, leaving the cell itself clear and transparent. This is achieved because the negatively charged stain is repelled by the negatively charged bacterial surface, thus not penetrating the cell.
Answer for screen readers
In negative staining, the stain's function is to create a dark background around the cell, leaving the cell itself clear and transparent. This is achieved because the negatively charged stain is repelled by the negatively charged bacterial surface, thus not penetrating the cell.
More Information
Negative staining is particularly useful for viewing specimens that are difficult to stain or are distorted by heat-fixing. It can be used to observe the capsule structure around bacteria, which is normally difficult to stain.
Tips
A common mistake is thinking negative staining dyes the cell directly. Remember, it's the background that gets stained, not the cell itself.
Sources
- Negative Staining - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics - sciencedirect.com
- Negative stain - Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org
- Negative Staining- Principle, Reagents, Procedure and Result - microbiologyinfo.com
AI-generated content may contain errors. Please verify critical information
