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Basically, King Leopold II of Belgium personally owned the Congo (so at this point it wasn't actually the "Belgian Congo", it was called, ironically, the "Belgian Free State"). This was in the late 1800s when bicycles were becoming very popular. The Congo was very rich in rubber trees (they grew there naturally), so Leopold sent out his troops to villages throughout the Congo and would take people hostage and say to the rest of the village "go out and collect X amount of rubber (an impossibly high amount) or this guy gets both his hands chopped off".

Even within the context of colonialism, which was practiced by almost every European power at this point, this was seen as especially brutal and inhumane. King Leopold lost his rights to the Congo - it was not given to the Congolese but to Belgium. The Belgium were by no means humanitarian saints, but at least they didn't go around taking hostages and cutting their hands off to get as much rubber as possible.

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What is the UV visible spectra of Congo red?

Congo red has a characteristic UV-visible absorption spectrum with absorption peaks around 490-500 nm and 330-340 nm due to its extended conjugated system. These peaks correspond to the red and blue colors observed when Congo red is in solution.


Congo Red Cream and Distilled Water?

Congo Red is a dye commonly used in histology to stain cellulose fibers and amyloid proteins red. It is typically prepared as a concentrated solution in distilled water for staining purposes. The cream form may refer to a topical formulation of Congo Red for research or diagnostic purposes.


Is Congo red a basic or acidic substance?

Congo red is an azo dye that acts as a pH indicator and is classified as an acidic substance. It changes color depending on the pH of the solution, appearing red in acidic conditions and blue in alkaline conditions. Due to its structure, it can donate protons, which contributes to its acidic behavior.


What is the basis for acidic Congo red stain?

Acidic Congo red stain is a synthetic dye that is based on the structure of azo compounds, which contain an azo group (-N=N-). It is an anionic dye, meaning it carries a negative charge, and is used primarily in histology to detect amyloid deposits in tissues, as it binds to the β-pleated sheet structure characteristic of amyloid proteins. Upon binding, Congo red exhibits a characteristic red color, and under polarized light, it displays a green birefringence, which is indicative of amyloid presence.


If Congo red is used instead of safranin in the gram stain technique what would happen?

Using Congo red instead of safranin in the Gram stain technique would not provide accurate results. Safranin is essential for counterstaining gram-negative bacteria, whereas Congo red would not differentiate between gram-positive and gram-negative cells due to its staining properties. This would lead to incorrect classification of bacteria in the Gram stain.