Methyl blue is a

chemical compound A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...

with the

molecular formula In chemistry, a chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, ...

C₃₇H₂₇N₃Na₂O₉S₃. It is used as a stain in

histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vi ...

, and stains collagen blue in tissue sections. It can be used in some

differential staining Differential staining is a staining process which uses more than one chemical stain. Using multiple stains can better differentiate between different microorganisms or structures/cellular components of a single organism. Differential staining is u ...

techniques such as Mallory's connective tissue stain and Gömöri trichrome stain, and can be used to mediate electron transfer in

microbial fuel cell Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a type of bioelectrochemical fuel cell system that generates electric current by diverting electrons produced from the microbial oxidation of reduced compounds (also known as fuel or electron donor) on the anode to oxid ...

s. Fungal cell walls are also stained by methyl blue. Methyl blue is also available in mixture with water blue, under name Aniline Blue WS, Aniline blue, China blue, or Soluble blue; and in a solution of

phenol Phenol (also called carbolic acid) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group () bonded to a hydroxy group (). Mildly acidic, it ...

glycerol Glycerol (), also called glycerine in British English and glycerin in American English, is a simple triol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is sweet-tasting and non-toxic. The glycerol backbone is found in lipids known ...

, and

lactic acid Lactic acid is an organic acid. It has a molecular formula . It is white in the solid state and it is miscible with water. When in the dissolved state, it forms a colorless solution. Production includes both artificial synthesis as well as nat ...

under the name Lactophenol cotton blue (LPCB), which is used for microscopic visualization of fungi.

Chemistry

Methyl blue ( 4-[Bis[4-[(sulfophenyl)aminohenyl.html" ;"title="is[4-[(sulfophenyl)amino.html" ;"title="4-[Bis[4-[(sulfophenyl)amino">4-[Bis[4-[(sulfophenyl)aminohenyl">is[4-[(sulfophenyl)amino.html" ;"title="4-[Bis[4-[(sulfophenyl)amino">4-[Bis[4-[(sulfophenyl)aminohenylethylene]-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene]amino]-benzenesulfonic acid disodium salt) is distinctly different to methylene blue ([7-(dimethylamino)phenothiazin-3-ylidene]-dimethylazanium;chloride) in structure, function and uses, and must not be confused Its uses include staining histology samples for collagen, and for fungal structures.

References

{{Stains Triarylmethane dyes Staining dyes Aromatic amines Acid dyes

Chemistry

See also

References