In: Biology
1. What would happen if you tried to look at the E. coli cells under the microscope immediately after the decolorizing step?
1. E coli is a gram negative bacteria. so usually the process of gram staining results in pink stained Ecoli cell.
In the staining process after decolorization step, the excess stain is removed from the smeared slide. The decolorization process takes specific time depending upon the thickness of the smear. Too thick or too thin smear could affect the process. Usually it takes about 20 seconds to decolorize the stain. If the Ecoli cells are viewed under the microscope immediately after decolorizing step, it won't be visible because after decolorizing stage, the gram positive cells will appear purple in color but Ecoli is a gram negative bacteria which after adding ethyl alcohol (declorizer) will appear colorless, after decolorization a counterstaion is used to impart pink colour in gram negative cells. Hence viewing Ecoli immediately after decolorizing step will be useless.