First developed in 1884 by Christian Gram, the Gram Stain is a fundamental technique used to identify and classify bacteria
In this instance, bacteria are stained with Crystal Violet and Grams Iodine and counterstained with Phenyl Fuschin
Gram positive bacteria retain the crystal violet and Iodine complex and are stained blue, whilst Gram negative bacteria are counterstained red
The teaching notes have been designed for the teacher with little experience in handling micro‐organisms and include step by step diagrams of the practical procedure and the whole experiment can be done in one lesson
The accompanying booklet entitled ';Safe Handling of Micro‐organisms' includes full instructions on safety, aseptic technique, culturing and disposal
The Gram Stain Kit contains:Escherichia coli culture
Staphylococcus albus culture
Crystal Violet stain
Grams Iodine stain
Phenol‐Fuschin stain
Dropping bottles for alcohol
Full teaching notesIn addition, the following equipment is required:Distilled water
Inoculating loop
Alcohol
Glass microscope slides
Filter paper
Forceps
Bunsen Burner
A microscope fitted with a x100 oil immersion objective to view the prepared slide
