Gram Stain Procedure

Gram Stain Procedure

Staining a sample can be a great benefit in the identification of bacteria.

Procedure:

Stain the cells purple

Decolorize using some sort of organic solvent

Stain the cells red

Results of this test:

gram negative cell are easily decolorized and therefore, will lose the purple color, and then be red under microscopic inspection

gram positive cells are resistant to the solvent and will remain purple under microscopic investigation

Notes:

Gram negative cells are believed to have an extra outer layer

Gram positive cell walls are a membrane containing teichoic acids