What is Safranin?
Safranin, also known as Safranin O or Basic Red 2, is a lipophilic cationic dye. It is a biological dye that is frequently utilized as a counter-stain in a variety of staining methods, including gram staining.
Macsen Laboratories is the leading manufacturer and supplier of Safranin dye with ISO certification.
| PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS | |
|---|---|
| Name of Product | Safranin |
| IUPAC Name | 3,7-dimethyl-10-phenylphenazin-10-ium-2,8-diamine;chloride |
| Synonyms | Basic Red 2; Safranine O; Safranin T; Gossypimine; Safranin O; Safranine T |
| CAS No | 477-73-6 |
| Molecular Formula | C20H19ClN4 |
| Molecular Weight | 350.8 g/mol |
| Pubchem CID | 2723800 |
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
| SR. No | Criteria | Limit/Specification |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Appearance (form) | Solid powder |
| 2 | Appearance (color) | Brownish-Red to Dark Brown |
| 3 | Odor | No characteristic odor |
| 4 | Solubility | Soluble in water and ethanol |
| 5 | Melting Point | > 240°C |
| 6 | Loss on Drying (at 110°C) | NMT 15.0 % |
Uses
- Safranin is a biological stain that is utilized in the field of histology as well as cytology.
- It is the traditional counterstain for use in Gram staining as well as endospore staining.
- Safranin is also employed in analytical chemistry as a redox indicator.
- It is widely used in medical research for staining acidic proteoglycan, which is a component of cartilage tissues. This enables researchers to examine the chondrogenesis of individual cells. Additionally, it can be used to detect mucin and mast cell granules.
FAQs
Q. What does Safranin do in gram staining?
Safranin is used as a counterstain in gram staining. It stains the gram-negative cells pink or red, thus facilitating the classification of bacterial species into gram-positive bacteria and gram-negative bacteria.
Q. Is Safranin acidic or basic?
Safranin is a basic biological dye.
Q. How does Safranin affect gram positive cells?
Safranin is not able to stain gram-positive bacteria due to the retention of primary stain in their thick layered peptidoglycan cell wall.
Resources
Biological Stains | Classification, Examples & Uses