Pararosaniline is also known as which dye?

• A. Basic fuchsin
• B. Crystal violet
• C. Safranin
• D. Magenta

Answer: (A)

Pararosaniline is a basic dye in the fuchsin family, commonly known as basic fuchsin. It is the active component used in carbol fuchsin for acid-fast staining, staining organisms a deep magenta color because it carries a positive charge that binds to negatively charged cell components. The other named dyes are different chemicals or color references: crystal violet is used in Gram staining, safarin is a counterstain, and magenta is just a color description, not the dye name in this context. So pararosaniline and basic fuchsin refer to the same dye.