Nile blue sulphate
Description
Nile blue A forms a red staining lysochrome, named nile red, when it is boiled with dilute sulphuric acid. During this treatment, oxygen is substituted for an amino group converting it to the other dye. It is from this ability that nile blue A gains its value in histology. The red lysochrome remains dissolved in aqueous mixture with Nile blue A, but will preferentially stain lipids from the solution, colouring them red. The Nile blue, in turn, stains the nuclei and background blue in contrast.
References
- R. D. Lillie.
Conn’s Biological Stains
Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, MD., U.S.A. - Edward Gurr, 1971
Synthetic dyes in biology, medicine and chemistry
Academic Press, London, England. - Aldrich chemical catalogue, 1992
Aldrich Chemical Company, Milwaukee, WI, USA.