Chemical Properties
dark brown crystals or powder
Uses
Orcein (cas# 1400-62-0) is an organic dye and histochemical stain. Orcein has also been used as a stain for extracellular matrices. Dyes and metabolites.
Definition
ChEBI: A member of the class of benzofurans that is dibenzo[b,d]furan-3,7-dione bearing two methyl substituents at positions 1 and 9 as well as two 2,4-dihydroxy-6-methylanilino substituents at positions 2 and 8.
General Description
Orcein is a weakly acidic orange-red fluorochrome and is mainly required for the staining of elastic tissue. It is not specific for chromatin staining, however, in acidic solutions it works as a basic dye and stains basophilic chromosomes purple red.
