RE: Safran du Gatinais

From:"Monson, Frederick C."

Morning Jenny,

Safran du Gatinais = Saffron of Gatinais
	Saffron (Roboz)(C.I. #75100)*	6g (about 1/4 oz) (stigmas or
powder, I bet!)
	100% Ethanol	100ml
		saffron in EtOH in air-tight brown bottle*** (125ml serum
bottle with Teflon-lined screw cap)
		leave at 56-58oC for 48hr**
	stain for 15min in screw-cap Coplin jar (this is a last
counterstain)

	The above came out of S.W. Thompson's, Selected Histochemical and
Histopathological Methods, Thomas, Springfield, IL, 1966, p 827-828 (Movat's
Pentachrome Stain).

The web is wonderful!!!
	A reference to a method/protocol contact for Movat's Penta-stain
came from Steve Slap at:
	
http://www.histosearch.com/histonet/Feb01A/MovatsPentachromeStainA.html

*  Listed in Lillie's, "Conn's biological Stains", don't know about the new
edition soon to come.

**  This is quite obviously an extraction performed on stamens (called
"saffron threads") or powder.  You could presume that C.I. 75100 is a
purified powder from a similar organic extraction.

*** I always keep a quart can of black paint in my lab in which I dip small
bottles that I wish to make light tight.  There is a plastic coating which
is available at Home Depot that comes in other colors

Saffron can be purchased in original form or as a powder as explained here:
	http://saffron.com/cons_guide.html
A general link library for dyes (as in textiles!! where it all started) can
be found here:
	http://moas.atlantia.sca.org/topics/dyes.htm

Saffron is expensive ($36/oz) for cooking and exorbitant for staining at:
	http://www.voigtglobal.com/cdi.htm (search )

So, after all of the intelligent stuff listed above, the search finally
produced a summary in a PDF file from Luna's " "Histo-Logic" at:
	http://206.137.77.9/sakura/pdf/2n20472.pdf.  He not only gave a
modified version of Movat but also the original source.  Movat(1955),
A.M.A., Arch Path, 60:289-294 (which is also in Thompson's book).

We (Mom and I) have a snitched (rescued?) mortar and pestle to grind the
"threads" to powder for cooking.  Only a little powder is required for
non-chef-like cooking, so the mortar and pestle hang out in the cupboard
most of the time.

Hope this helps, it was a nice exercise to start the day for me,

Cheers,

Fred Monson

Frederick C. Monson, PhD   
Center for Advanced Scientific Imaging
Schmucker II Science Center
c/o Geology/Astronomy
West Chester University
South Church Street and Rosedale Ave
West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA, 19383
Phone:  610-738-0437
FAX:  610-738-0437
fmonson@wcupa.edu
CASI URL:  http://darwin.wcupa.edu/casi/
WCUPA URL:  http://www.wcupa.edu/
Visitors URL:  http://www.wcupa.edu/_visitors/

THINKING IS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT THAN MEMORIZING.


> ----------
> From: 	Jenny Molde
> Sent: 	Friday, September 13, 2002 4:01 AM
> To: 	histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
> Subject: 	Safran du Gatinais
> 
> I would like to attempt the Movat pentachrome stain and was wondering 
> if anyone out there could  please give me some info on where to find 
> this  dye,  Safran du Gatinais.  I have searched quite a number of 
> companies but no success on my side.  Many thanks in advance.
> 
> Jenny Molde
> 
> 



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