Introduction: Gram staining is a method commonly used to determine the chemical make up of the cell wall of bacteria. The cell wall can stain either positive or negative, depending on its chemistry. Knowing the chemical make up makes it easier to manipulate the bacteria for various purposes.

The performance of the Gram Stain on any sample requires four basic steps that include applying a primary stain (crystal violet) to a heat-fixed smear, followed by the addition of a mordant (Gram’s Iodine), rapid decolorization with alcohol, acetone, or a mixture of alcohol and acetone and lastly, counterstaining with …

First cells are stained with crystal violet, followed by the addition of a setting agent for the stain (iodine). Then alcohol is applied, which selectively removes the stain from only the Gram negative cells. Finally, a secondary stain, safranin, is added, which counterstains the decolorized cells pink.

The Gram stain is the most important staining procedure in microbiology. It is used to differentiate between gram positive organisms and gram negative organisms. Hence, it is a differential stain. Gram negative and gram positive organisms are distinguished from each other by differences in their cell walls.

Gram Stain – A differential staining technique in which cells either stain pink (gram-negative) or purple (gram-positive) depending upon their structural type. During a gram stain, a bacterial sample is smeared on a microscope slide and allowed to dry.

Why Stain Cells? The most basic reason that cells are stained is to enhance visualization of the cell or certain cellular components under a microscope. Cells may also be stained to highlight metabolic processes or to differentiate between live and dead cells in a sample.

Safranin is used as a counterstain in some staining protocols, colouring cell nuclei red. This is the classic counterstain in both Gram stains and endospore staining. It can also be used for the detection of cartilage, mucin and mast cell granules.