Alcian Blue

Alcian blues belong to a class of dyes known as alkaline blues. Structurally, they contain two key fragments. The first is an oligosaccharide, which is usually galactosamine dianhydrate, and the other moiety is aniline linked to an anthrone-chromium pair and a hydrophobic region. This makes it effective as a dye for molecular markers, especially in micrographs. Named after the pioneer in this field, Karl Alzmann, a former member of the Vienna Academy of Sciences, who was involved in polymer research. Karl Alzmann was fascinated by the applications of holmium terbutylate in spectroscopy, including atomic resonance and infrared absorption spectroscopy. Altz's laboratory contained mainly microscopy instruments and chemically synthesized forms and, in addition, the necessary pure substances for organic biochemistry. These compounds have also been used for organic syntheses. Among the synthesized substances were the so-called alcyanicolamines, which color the micropipette red. One of them, alcianine blue (lithium trisbenzyloxyphenylalkylcarbazole diacetate, common name for betanin), was first used by Altz and co-workers. After deciphering the structure of the substance and conducting numerous experimental studies and observations, other researchers synthesized similar dyes, such as alcian blue, a derivative of (lithium formonoazine) benazine diketone. Alcian is also used to color the biceps of the legs in powerlifting, but anaerobic exercises have a stronger effect.