Silver proteinate (brand name: Protargol) is used in

electron microscopy An electron microscope is a microscope that uses a beam of accelerated electrons as a source of illumination. As the wavelength of an electron can be up to 100,000 times shorter than that of visible light photons, electron microscopes have a hi ...

with

periodic acid Periodic acid ( ) is the highest oxoacid of iodine, in which the iodine exists in oxidation state +7. Like all periodates it can exist in two forms: orthoperiodic acid, with the chemical formula , and metaperiodic acid, which has the formula . ...

and

thiocarbohydrazide Thiocarbohydrazide is a toxic compound made by the reaction of carbon disulfide with hydrazine (hydrazinolysis). It is used in the silver proteinate specific staining of carbohydrates in electron microscopy An electron microscope is a microsc ...

or thiosemicarbohydrazide as a positive stain for

carbohydrates In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or may ...

such as glycogen. It can also be used for light microscopy to stain

nerve tissue Nervous tissue, also called neural tissue, is the main tissue component of the nervous system. The nervous system regulates and controls body functions and activity. It consists of two parts: the central nervous system (CNS) comprising the brain ...

. It is normally available as 8% silver in combination with

albumin Albumin is a family of globular proteins, the most common of which are the serum albumins. All the proteins of the albumin family are water-soluble, moderately soluble in concentrated salt solutions, and experience heat denaturation. Albumins ...

. Because of its bactericidal properties it was used to treat

gonorrhea Gonorrhea, colloquially known as the clap, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium '' Neisseria gonorrhoeae''. Infection may involve the genitals, mouth, or rectum. Infected men may experience pain or burning with ...

before the discovery of

antibiotic An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of ...

s. The inventor of the first silver protein formulation was

Arthur Eichengrün Arthur Eichengrün (13 August 1867 – 23 December 1949) was a German Jewish chemist, materials scientist, and inventor. He is known for developing the highly successful anti-gonorrhea drug Protargol, the standard treatment for 50 years until th ...

, a German chemist working for

Bayer Bayer AG (, commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of busi ...

. It was introduced for therapeutic use in 1897.State Medical Examining and Licensing Boards
A Handbook of Useful Drugs: Protargol
' 1913 Press Of The American Medical Association (''hosted on: chestofbooks.com'')

References

{{Reflist Silver compounds

See also

References