MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Hello, I'm hoping for patience as I'm brand new. I've bought myself a microscope, some slides, some stains.

I live in Canada (which may or may not be relevant), and there are some experiments I'd like to do that require an iodine stain, but the stains I bought don't include iodine, which I found strange.

What type of iodine do I need specifically? I won't be doing lab work, just beginners speed 'golly gee, look at that' type of microscopy.

Thanks in advance for your help

Rainee

Gram's or Lugol's for aqueous, La Cour's or regular tincture of iodine for alcohol. Probably the former, as the alcohol solutions are better suited to removing mercury than actually staining the starch, but I think it's not particularly important the exact mixture. All of these should be very cheap and reasonably easy to obtain.

Welcome.
Suggestion: try not to stain any textile besides the specimen, especially if you use the iodine in alcohol tincture.

thanks for answers, it's all helpful information

I'm actually what feels like light years away to learning this information.

Happy Friday!