I have occasionally used brazilin on fixed tissue, usually on paraffin
sections.  Brazilin gives a lighter stain than hematoxylin.  This makes it a
good nuclear stain for thick sections.

My formula for the stain is:

  Dissolve
    0.25 g brazilin (powder)
    in 8 ml ethanol
  Add
   25 ml distilled water
    2.4 g ammonium alum (ammonium aluminum sulfate dodecahydrate)
   6.5 ml glycerol
  Stir until dissolved.
  Add
    10 ml sodium iodate
  Filter and add
    0.1 ml "10%" ferric chloride solution (1 g ferric chloride hexahydrate
in 10 ml water)

My staining protocol is
    1. Deparaffinize and hydrate.
    2. Stain in brazilin solution, 15 min.
    3. Rinse in tap water.
    4. If necessary, differentiate with 1% hydrochloric acid in 70% ethanol
under a microscope.
    5. Rinse in tap water.
    6. Tap water, 5 min.
    7. Dehydrate, clear, and mount.

Reference: Smith, A.A. (1969) The Palmar Sweat Glands of the Rhesus Monkey,
p. 177.  Ph.D. thesis, University of Oregon Medical School.


Allen A. Smith, Ph.D.
School of Graduate Medical Sciences
   Podiatric Medicine and Surgery
Barry University
Miami Shores, Florida