Common Name: Toluidine blue
Suggested Name: Toluidine blue O
Other Names:
Tolonium chloride
C.I. Number: 52040
C.I. Name: Basic blue 17
Color: Blue
Solubility Aqueous: 3.82%
Solubility Ethanol: 3.82%
Absorption Maximum: 620-622 (Conn) 632 (Gurr) 640.4 (Merck) 626 (Aldrich)
Empirical Formula: C15H16N3SCl
Formula Weight: 305.8
Description
Toluidine blue O is a metachromatic dye, and is frequently employed in that capacity. It is a blue nuclear counterstain, and can be used to demonstrate Nissl substance. It is useful for staining mast cell granules, both in metachromatic and orthochromatic techniques. Compare its formula to other methylene blue homologues.
References
- R. D. Lillie.
Conn’s Biological Stains
Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, MD., U.S.A. - Aldrich chemical catalogue, 1992
Aldrich Chemical Company, Milwaukee, WI, USA. - Edward Gurr, 1971
Synthetic dyes in biology, medicine and chemistry
Academic Press, London, England. - Susan Budavari, Editor,
The Merck Index, Ed. 12
Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA
