The cation of methyl green carriea two poaitive charges, that of malachite green only one; but the two dyes behave towards tissue-constituents in almost exactly the same way. These dyes are not specific for chromatin. They colour certain objects that are devoid of DNA, even when they are used in very dilute solution. The granules of cells called Körnchenzellen in the connective tissue of the common snail, Helix aspersa, are strongly coloured by both dyes from very dilute solutions, and thus provide a striking instance of the unspecificity of these dyes.
Malachite green, which is stable and free from contamination by metachromstic impurities, can advantageously replace the methyl green commonly used in mixtures with pyronine.
It is suggested that pyronine may have a greater capacity for penetrating into close-textured objects, such ss nucleoli and ribosomes, than methyl and malachite greens.
Adsorption Studies of Aqueous Solutions of Methyl Green for Halloysite Nanotubes: Kinetics, Isotherms, and Thermodynamic Parameters