Bacteria Stain Set, 5 Stains in 30mL Dropper Bottles

The Bacteria Stain Set brings together five staining solutions used to prepare microscope slides and reveal bacterial morphology. Because most bacteria are nearly transparent under a light microscope, stains are what make cell shape, arrangement, and structural detail visible. This set assembles a reliable working collection of the stains most commonly called for in introductory and intermediate microbiology, each chosen to produce clear, distinct results on prepared smears.

The set includes methylene blue in Loeffler's solution, saturated methylene blue at one percent in isopropanol and water, carbol fuchsin solution, carbol rose bengal solution, and crystal violet at one percent in alcohol. Together these cover the core techniques taught in a microbiology lab: methylene blue serves as a simple stain for general cell visualization, crystal violet and carbol fuchsin function as the primary and counterstain roles familiar from differential staining work, and the carbol-based solutions support staining of organisms that resist simpler methods. Each solution comes in a 30 mL dropper bottle, so stain can be applied directly to a slide with controlled drops, which speeds slide preparation and reduces waste.

A teacher's manual accompanies the set with step-by-step staining procedures, recommended techniques, and suggested staining times for each solution, making the set workable for students and newer lab users as well as experienced technicians. The stains are intended for laboratory and educational use in the study of bacterial morphology. To run the procedures, a lab will also need items not included in the set: clean microscope slides and coverslips, distilled or deionized water, and a light microscope with an oil-immersion objective. Because it contains alcohol-based reagents, the set ships under the 49 CFR 173.4 small-quantity exception for domestic ground transport.