Final answer:
Sodium thioglycollate is associated with reducing media, which are used to grow and differentiate bacteria based on their oxygen needs. This substance absorbs oxygen and allows for the cultivation of anaerobes or facultative bacteria in a complex medium.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sodium thioglycollate is associated with reducing media. Reducing media are designed to create an environment where oxygen levels are reduced, allowing the growth and study of anaerobic bacteria or bacteria requiring lower oxygen levels. Sodium thioglycollate accomplishes this by absorbing oxygen and reducing the redox potential. In a thioglycollate tube culture, oxygen diffuses from the opening, establishing various oxygen concentrations along the length of the tube, which enables the differentiation of bacteria based on their oxygen requirements. While sodium thioglycollate itself does not make media selective or differential, it can be incorporated into media that can be characterized as complex due to the presence of digests of tissues or other substances whose exact chemical composition is not determined.