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Mercurochrome

Mercurochrome

Class: Fluorone
Ionisation: Acid


Common Name: Mercurochrome
Suggested Name: Mercurochrome
Other Names:

Merbromin

C.I. Number:
C.I. Name:
Color: Red
Solubility Aqueous: Freely
Solubility Ethanol: Freely
Absorption Maximum: 508 (Gurr) 507 (Aldrich)
Empirical Formula: C20H8Br2HgNa2O6
Formula Weight: 750.7

Description

Mercurochrome is infrequently substituted for Eosin Y ws. It has a similar color, but is darker and recorded better on early color films. In the past, it was used to mark tissue margins and faces for orientation, but tattoo inks are superior for this. It was also commonly used as an antiseptic. Due to the mercury content and its consequent toxicity, it should not be used.

Two different formulas have been given. The one by Merck is more accepted.

Compare the structural formula of some eosin homologs.

References

  1. R. D. Lillie.
    Conn’s Biological Stains
    Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, MD., U.S.A.
  2. Aldrich chemical catalogue, 1992
    Aldrich Chemical Company, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
  3. Edward Gurr, 1971
    Synthetic dyes in biology, medicine and chemistry
    Academic Press, London, England.
  4. Susan Budavari, Editor,
    The Merck Index, Ed. 12
    Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA