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The purpose of any microbiological stain (gram or otherwise), is to enable visualization of features that would otherwise be clear/invisible in a sample. In this case, the darker crystal violet is used to stain the peptidoglycan cell walls of gram-positive bacteria. Washing the sample with too much ethanol (decolorizing too much) will remove too much stain, making it difficult or impossible to distinguish between gram-negative and gram-positive cells. Only the counterstain that is added after the ethanol wash (safranin, for example) will be visible.

(see related links for example descriptions of Gram staining)

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What would you observe if you decolorized your slide too much?

If you decolorized your slide too much, you would likely have difficulty seeing the sample under the microscope. Over-decolorization can remove the stain from the cells or tissue, making them appear faint or transparent. This can impact your ability to accurately study the morphology or characteristics of the sample.


What would the slide look like under the microscope if methylene blue is used instead of nigrosin?

The stain would stain the cells rather than the background


What would happen if you slide down a slide with water on it?

youd go faster, but the slide would get sticky after a while and would give someone a wedgie or pull their pants down!


How would your slide (cells and endospores) have appeared if you had performed a Gram stain rather than an endospore stain?

If a Gram stain had been performed instead of an endospore stain, the slide would show the bacterial cells either as purple (Gram-positive) or pink (Gram-negative) based on their cell wall composition. The endospores, which typically do not retain the Gram stain, would likely appear as clear or colorless structures within the stained cells. Thus, the focus would be on the overall morphology and arrangement of the vegetative cells rather than highlighting the presence of endospores.


What will happen to food if there was no friction?

it would just slide away


What color are gram-negative organisms if you over-decolorized them?

If the Gram Stain is completed properly, gram positive should stain purple; however, if you over decolorize a gram positive organism, the organism will appear appear pink, which is a gram negative reaction. To summarize, if you over decolorize a gram positive organism it will show as a gram negative organism.


What would you expect from a gram stain done on a slide that was heated too hot during the heat-fixed smear?

A Gram stain refers to a staining technique for the identification of bacteria. A Gram stain done on a slide that was heated too hot during the heat-fixed smear will destroy the cell wall of the bacteria.


What is it called when water ruins wood?

i think it's called a water stain, it can happen to about everything, so i think it would be called a water stain on wood.


What happen to the letters aj and k when you move the slide?

suppose you wanted to follow an organism that was moving to the right, which way would you move the slide?


What would happen if the step involving Gram's iodine was inadvertently left out of the Gram staining procedure?

Gram staining refers to separating bacterial species into two groups, gram-positive and gram-negative, which defines the physical and chemical properties. Skipping a step in this process could result in a mixed group of the bacterial species.


What would happen if you stained a cork slide?

Staining a cork slide would likely result in the cork absorbing the dye, which could alter its appearance and potentially affect its structural integrity. Depending on the type of stain used, it may enhance the visibility of the cork's cellular structure under a microscope, but excessive staining could also lead to degradation. Additionally, the stain may not wash out completely, making future observations difficult. Overall, while staining might provide some insights, it could compromise the cork's usability for subsequent experiments.


What would happen to the center of the slide as the magnification increased?

As magnification increases, the center of the slide would appear larger and more detailed. This is because magnification enlarges the image of the specimen on the slide, allowing you to see finer features with greater clarity at the center.