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Iodine is an important "marker element" in Biology. It is used to trace certain substances such as DNA or RNA during analysis of nucleic acids in a cell. When observing a cell, iodine is used to mark the DNA or RNA in the nucleus and mitochondrion of a cell for easy viewing. So in a way, iodine is a fluorescent organelle highlighter or tag.

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What does lugol's iodine stain do to the activity of the cell?

I just did a lab in biology called "How Plant and Animal Cells Differ" and in the packet it had that question. The answer is: Lugol's iodine stain stops the activity of the cell. It kills whatever specimen it is staining.


What is the value of simple stain?

A simple stain like iodine can make cell parts show up that would otherwise be nearly invisible since they are colorless.A simple stain like iodine will reveal a cell's morphology.


What is the importance of iodine after primary stain?

Iodine is used after the primary stain in the Gram stain procedure to form a complex with the crystal violet dye, which helps to stabilize the dye within the bacterial cell wall. This step enhances the retention of the primary stain in Gram-positive bacteria.


What is the purpose of the iodine in the second slide of the onion cell?

Iodine is used as a stain to make cell structures more visible under a microscope. In the second slide of the onion cell experiment, iodine helps to stain the nucleus and other organelles within the cells, allowing for better observation and study of the cell components.


Why do you use iodine to stain a cell?

Iodine is used to stain cells because it binds to glycogen and starch, making them more visible under a microscope. This helps to visualize the cellular structures and identify specific components within the cell.


What does effect iodine have on the onion cells?

Iodine is often used to stain onion cells to make the cell structures more visible under a microscope. The iodine solution will stain specific cell components such as the cell walls and starch grains, allowing for easier observation and analysis of the cells.


Which diagram represent a cell organelle that can absorb iodine stain and then be seen with the low power of compound light microscope?

The diagram that represents a cell organelle that can absorb iodine stain and be seen with the low power of a compound light microscope is the nucleus. The nucleus absorbs the iodine stain and becomes visible under the microscope due to its high DNA content, which binds with the stain.


Is iodine a basic stain?

No, iodine is not a basic stain. Iodine is commonly used in Gram staining to identify bacteria as either Gram-positive or Gram-negative based on their cell wall composition. It acts as a mordant in the staining process and helps to fix the crystal violet stain in Gram staining.


Why gram's iodine called a mordant?

Gram's iodine is called a mordant because it fixes the primary stain to the cell wall and adds any color.


Why are stains such as iodine used to observe cells under the microscope?

Stains like iodine are used to enhance contrast and visibility of cell structures under the microscope. They bind specifically to certain biological molecules within the cell, making them easier to see. This staining process helps researchers identify different cell components and understand their functions more clearly.


Why did you iodine to cheek cells structures and what is darkest?

Iodine is used to stain cheek cells during microscopic examination to make the cellular structures more visible and easier to identify. The darkest structures in the cheek cells after staining with iodine would typically be the cell nuclei, which are rich in DNA and thus take up more of the iodine stain.


When you added a drop of iodine what effect did it have on the cell?

It stains the cell, making it easier to observe under microscope.