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A mordant is an element which aids the chemical reaction that takes place between the dye and the fibre so that the dye is absorbed.

It may also mean incisive or insistent especially in questioning something.

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13y ago
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6mo ago

Iodine is the mordant used in the gram staining procedure. Its function is to complex with the crystal violet dye, forming large crystal iodide molecules that get trapped within the thick peptidoglycan layer of gram-positive bacteria. This helps to stabilize the crystal violet within the gram-positive bacteria, making them appear purple under the microscope.

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16y ago

Iodine solution is used as mordant in grams staining. At first smear is stained with crystal violet and then with iodine. When gram positive bacteria are treated with ethanol, the alcohol is thought to shrink the pores of thick peptidoglycan. Thus the dye-iodine complex is retained during this short decolorization step and the bacteria remain purple. In contrast, the gram negative get decolourized and when counterstain with saffranine it shows pink colour. So iodine from comlex between cell wall of gram positive and crystal violet.

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14y ago

A mordant is a substance used to set dyes on fabrics or tissue sections by forming a coordination complex with the dye which then attaches to the fabric or tissue. It may be used for dyeing fabrics, or for intensifying stains in cell or tissue preparations. In Histology, mordants are indispensible in adhering dyes to tissues for microscopic examination.

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12y ago

Mordant allow dyes to stay long in the shirt, even after washing. It is good to soak your shirt in sodium carbonate solution, before dying your shirt.

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12y ago

the purpose of a mordant in the gram stain ' to make the flagella visible

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11y ago

A mordant is a substance which is used to set dyes on fabrics or tissues. It can be used on dyeing fabrics or for stains to go on a quicker rhythm in cell and tissue preparations.

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Q: What is mordant used in the gram staining procedure and its function?
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Why is Iodine used in Gram staining?

Iodine is used in Gram staining as a mordant, which helps to bind the crystal violet dye to the cell wall of bacteria. This mordant-iodine complex forms larger complexes with the crystal violet dye, making it difficult for the dye to be washed away during the decolorization step. This allows for differentiation of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria based on their ability to retain the crystal violet dye.


What is the function of iodine solution in the gram stain?

Iodine solution is used in the Gram stain procedure to form a complex with crystal violet, the primary stain. This complex helps to stabilize the crystal violet-iodine complex within the thick peptidoglycan layer of Gram-positive bacteria, preventing the stain from being easily washed away during the decolorization step. This step helps to differentiate between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria based on their cell wall composition.


What are the reagents and steps min a Gram stain?

In a Gram stain, the reagents used are crystal violet (primary stain), iodine (mordant), ethanol or acetone (decolorizer), and safranin (counterstain). The steps involved in a Gram stain include applying crystal violet, rinsing with iodine, decolorizing with alcohol/acetone, and counterstaining with safranin. Gram-positive bacteria retain the crystal violet stain and appear purple, while Gram-negative bacteria lose the crystal violet stain and take up the safranin, appearing pink under the microscope.


What is the appearance of gram negative bacteria after addition of mordant in the gram stain?

After the addition of mordant in the Gram stain, gram-negative bacteria will appear red or pink under the microscope. This is because the mordant helps to fix the crystal violet stain to the cell wall of gram-positive bacteria, making it harder for the decolorizer to remove it from the thicker peptidoglycan layer of gram-positive bacteria.


What is the scientific name of true gram positive?

The scientific name for true Gram-positive bacteria is Firmicutes. These bacteria have a thick peptidoglycan cell wall that retains the crystal violet stain in the Gram staining procedure.

Related questions

What would be the effect of removing the mordant from the gram's staining procedure?

Removing the mordant from the Gram staining procedure would result in poor differentiation between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The mordant helps to fix the crystal violet stain inside the thick peptidoglycan layer of Gram-positive bacteria, leading to their retention of the purple color. Without the mordant, both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria may appear pink after the decolorization step, making it difficult to distinguish between the two groups.


What is the function of sodium bicarbonate with Merthiolate in Gram stain?

Sodium bicarbonate is used to adjust the pH of the staining solution in the Gram stain procedure. Merthiolate is used as a mordant to enhance the crystal violet staining in the Gram stain. Together, they help differentiate between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria based on their cell wall characteristics.


What is the mordant in a gram stain?

Gram's iodine stain is applied after the culture is stained with the primary stain. It acts as a mordant, fixing the primary stain to the cell wall while lending no additional colour to the cell (i.e. the mordant itself is not a stain). The mordant is only able to fix the stain to Gram-positive bacteria because of the characteristic thick, peptidoglycan coat that they possess. Because the mordant is not able to fix the stain to Gram-negative bacteria (who's coat have a different composition), the crystal violet stain will wash away from Gram-negative bacteria when the decolourizing agent is added.


Why is gram's iodine called mordant?

Gram's iodine is called a mordant because it fixes the primary stain to the cell wall and adds any color.


Function of Gram's iodine?

Gram's iodine is used in the Gram staining method to differentiate bacteria into two major groups: Gram-positive and Gram-negative. It functions by forming complexes with the crystal violet dye in the cell wall of the bacteria. This allows for the retention of the dye by Gram-positive bacteria, while it is washed off from Gram-negative bacteria.


Is iodine a basic stain?

No, iodine is not a basic stain. Iodine is commonly used in Gram staining to identify bacteria as either Gram-positive or Gram-negative based on their cell wall composition. It acts as a mordant in the staining process and helps to fix the crystal violet stain in Gram staining.


Why is Iodine used in Gram staining?

Iodine is used in Gram staining as a mordant, which helps to bind the crystal violet dye to the cell wall of bacteria. This mordant-iodine complex forms larger complexes with the crystal violet dye, making it difficult for the dye to be washed away during the decolorization step. This allows for differentiation of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria based on their ability to retain the crystal violet dye.


What is the four staining procedure in bacteriology?

Gram, Ziel-Nielsen


If mordant not applied how will e.coli appear?

Without mordant, E. coli would appear pink or red after Gram staining due to retaining the safranin counterstain, indicating that it is a Gram-negative bacterium. The absence of the mordant would prevent the crystal violet stain from binding strongly to the peptidoglycan layer in the cell wall, leading to this coloration.


What is the mordant reagent for?

Mordant reagents are used in staining techniques to help bind dyes to specific structures. Different mordants are needed for different types of dyes and tissue components. For example, in Gram staining, the mordant reagent is iodine, which helps bind the crystal violet dye to the bacterial cell wall.


Function of iodine in staining?

iodine act as a mordant..on the gram positive bacteria which got really thick and abundence of peptidoglycan layer, the crystal violet will fix to the peptidoglycan layer..meanwhile in gram negative bacteria which is lack of peptidoglycan layer, the alcohol or acetone will wash it away


Why is it important to follow the gram staining procedure?

This is simply important in order to have accurate staining results. If this is not followed, the process of the staining will result to false positives or false negatives.