Vanillin–HCl staining (10%

vanillin Vanillin is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a phenolic aldehyde. Its functional groups include aldehyde, hydroxyl, and ether. It is the primary component of the ethanolic extract of the vanilla bean. Synthetic vanillin ...

and 90% of a mixture of

ethanol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...

and HCl, giving an orange color) can be used to visualize the localisation of

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and Precipitation (chemistry), precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' is widel ...

s in cells. The localization of phlorotannins can be investigated by

light microscopy Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view subjects too small to be seen with the naked eye (objects that are not within the resolution range of the normal eye). There are three well-known branches of microscopy: optical, el ...

after vanillin–HCl staining.Cytological studies on physodes in the vegetative cells of Cystoseira stricter Sauvagea (Phaeophyta, Fucales). Pellegrini L, J. Cell Sci., 1980, volume 41, pages 209–231 The phlorotannins can be seen this way in physodes in brown algae. The vanillin-HCl method can be used to estimate the proanthocyanidins content in plant cells, resulting in a red color of the test in the presence of

catechin Catechin is a flavan-3-ol, a type of secondary metabolite providing antioxidant roles in plants. It belongs to the subgroup of polyphenols called flavonoids. The name of the catechin chemical family derives from ''catechu'', which is the tannic ...

or proanthocyanidins.

References

Staining {{cell-biology-stub