If a microbiology lab student left the safranin out of the Gram stain procedure, what would be the result?
A) All cells would be purple.
B) Gram-positive cells would be purple and Gram-negative cells would be colorless.
C) All cells would be pink.
D) Gram-positive cells would be pink and Gram-negative cells would be purple.
E) Gram-positive cells would be colorless and Gram-negative cells would be pink.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Safranin is the counterstain in the Gram staining procedure. If it is omitted, Gram-positive cells remain purple due to the crystal violet-iodine complex, while Gram-negative cells, which would normally be counterstained pink by safranin, remain colorless because they do not retain the crystal violet-iodine complex after the decolorization step.

If a Microbiology Lab Student Left the Safranin Out of the Gram