Bruce raises some interesting questions about basic
fuchsine. (And please note the terminal e!)

Basic fuchsine is sold as both chloride and acetate. It is
usually a mixture of dyes, each with its own CI number. One
component, pararosaniline (CI 42500) is sold as a single dye.

CI 42510 is rosaniline, which occurs only in mixtures.
The reasons for this are explained in Chapter 14 (by
R.W.Horobin) of the new 10th edition of Conn's Biological
Stains (BIOS Scientific Publishers, 2002).
(Another component of BF, new fuchsine, is also available 
as a single dye, but it isn't usually used for making 
carbol-fuchsine.)

For making carbol-fuchsine, it doesn't matter if you choose
pararosaniline or a dye labelled basic fuchsine, and it
doesn't matter if you get the chloride or the acetate.

You should, however, get a batch that has been certified
by the Biological Stain Commission. That means it has been 
tested and found to be OK. Look for the word "certified"
in the catalogue. (An uncertified batch of a dye may well
be OK, but it hasn't been tested by an independent non-profit
organization.)  For information about the B.S.C. see its
web site at http://www.biostains.org
-- 
-------------------------
John A. Kiernan
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology
The University of Western Ontario
London,   Canada   N6A 5C1
   kiernan@uwo.ca
   Information about Conn's Biological Stains, 10th
edn:             
http://publish.uwo.ca/~jkiernan/bookfind.htm#CONN
-------------------------
Bruce Gapinski wrote:
> 
> Does anyone else still make their own Kinyoun's Carbol Fuchsin Solution for
> the AFB stain? If so, maybe you can help me. When you reorder Basic Fuchsin
> do you go by the C.I. # (color index) or the catalogue #? I was taught to go
> by CI #. It's been many years since I last ordered and my bottle had the cat
> # B660-3 CI # 42500. So I pulled my order card and more dye from JT *****,
> through V**. The bottle I received was named Basic Fuchsin Hydrochloride. OK
> the old bottle didn't have "Hydrochloride" on the label but what's more is
> that the CI number was wrong! It was Cat # B660-03 (right #) and CI #
> 42510(wrong CI#) I called V** and asked for a bottle with the correct CI
> number (42500). I got it. Its name is Pararosanilin Hydrochloride CI 42500!
> No mention of Basic Fuchsin anywhere on the label. Just looked it up in
> AFIP, Ann Preece, and F.Carson's books- no mention of CI number. Which dye
> would you use? Or am I'm going to have to do some QA with these two dyes?
> 
> Respectfully,
>         Bruce Gapinski
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