Effect of fixatives upon distribution of stainable material in Escherichia coli as shown by hydrogen chloride method of staining.

The importance of fixatives in the study of internal structures of bacteria is evidenced in papers by Murray (1953), Cassel and Hutchinson (1955), and by Robinow (1956b). The primary purpose of the use of these substances is to maintain, without distortion, the structure and material in the site in the cell where it functioned. In addition, the fixative may in some cases bring about changes in the substrate that are advantageous in staining the material. Few techniques or methods have been available to check the effectiveness of these substances. In this work it is proposed to use the hydrogen chloride method of staining (Chance, 1954) for this purpose. The method does not make use of a fixative prior to staining unless hydrogen chloride could be considered a fixative. This is not likely since in a modified staining procedure the stain can be used before the exposure of the cells to the gas. The distribution and shape of the stained material in cells of air dried smears was apparently a function of exposure to the gas.