Question

Besides iodine which another chemical is used to test starch?

• A. Safranin
• B. Methylene blue
• C. Eosine
• D. HCl

Answer 1

The correct option is A

Safranin

The correct option is A.

Explanation of correct option:

1. Safranin is a coal-tar dye that is sold as a brownish-red powder that dissolves in water to generate a blood-red solution.
2. M. Louis Crismer was the first person to suggest using safranin as a urine sugar test.
3. If the urine contains sugar, the safranin-urine solution will become discolored.
4. Thus, starch, which is also a sugar, can be detected with the use of safranin dye.

Explanation of incorrect options

Option B:

1. Methylene blue or methylthioninium chloride is a salt that is used as a dye and a medicine.
2. In microbiology, it can be used to illuminate or stain portions of animal, bacterial, and blood tissue specimens, as well as to observe the forms, structures, and positions of dead cells and other tissues.

Option C:

1. Because eosin is an acidic dye, it has a negative charge.
2. As a result, it dyes the cell's basic structures, imparting them a red or pink color.
3. For example, if the cytoplasm absorbs the eosin dye, it will appear pink because the cytoplasm is positively charged.

Option D:

1. HCl has acidic nature.
2. Cleaning, disinfecting, electroplating metals, dyeing leather, and distilling and manufacturing a wide range of products are just a few of the applications for hydrogen chloride.

Final Answer: Another chemical used to test starch is Safranin.