Question

If the decolorizer is left on too long in the Gram-staining procedure, gram-positive organisms will be stained __________ and gram-negative organisms will be stained __________?

1) purple; blue
2) purple; colorless
3) purple; pink
4) pink; pink

Answer 1

Gram-positive organisms will be stained purple and gram-negative organisms will be stained pink if the decolorizer is left on too long in the Gram-staining procedure. The correct option is c.

Step-by-step explanation:

Gram-positive organisms will be stained purple and gram-negative organisms will be stained pink if the decolorizer is left on too long in the Gram-staining procedure.

The purple color of gram-positive cells is due to their ability to resist decolorization and retain the crystal violet dye used in the staining process. In contrast, the thinner peptidoglycan layer of gram-negative cells allows the decolorizing agent to wash out the dye, resulting in a pink color after the addition of the safranin counterstain.

Therefore, the correct option is c.