cresyl violet cresyl violet cresyl violet is an organic compound with the chemical formula c19h18cln3o. it is a basic dye and is used as a common stain in histology. not to be confused with crystal violet. cresyl violet names iupac name (9-dimethylamino-10-methyl-benzophenoxazin-5-ylidene)ammonium chloride other names 9-(dimethylamino)-5-imino-10-methyl-5h-benzophenoxazine hydrochloridecresole violet identifiers cas number 18472-89-4 3d model (jsmol) interactive image beilstein reference 3910949 chebi chebi:52815 chemspider 27064 y ec number 242-356-1 pubchem cid 29092 unii 2ab49c465r comptox dashboard (epa) dtxsid10939892 inchi inchi=1s/c19h17n3o.clh/c1-11-8-15-17(10-16(11)22(2)3)23-18-9-14(20)12-6-4-5-7-13(12)19(18)21-15;/h4-10,20h,1-3h3;1h ykey: zhafuinzizixfc-uhfffaoysa-n yinchi=1/c19h17n3o.clh/c1-11-8-15-17(10-16(11)22(2)3)23-18-9-14(20)12-6-4-5-7-13(12)19(18)21-15;/h4-10,20h,1-3h3;1hkey: zhafuinzizixfc-uhfffaoyan smiles .n=1c4c(oc=3c=1c2ccccc2\c(=)\c=3)cc(c(c4)c)n(c)c properties chemical formula c19h18cln3o molar mass 339.8187 hazards flash point 245.5 °c (473.9 °f; 518.6 k) except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °c , 100 kpa). y verify (what is yn ?) infobox references cresyl violet stain cresyl violet stained partial brain section of a macaque. it is used in biology and medicine as a histological stain. cresyl violet is an effective and reliable stain used for light microscopy sections. initially, tissue sections are "defatted" by passing through graded dilutions of ethanol. then, rehydrated by passing back through decreasing concentrations of ethanol. lastly, back into water. the ethanol solutions act to differentiate the stain, causing myelin and other components to lose color whereas perikarya retain the color. it is also used to find helicobacter pylori. intestinal mucins also take up the stain although not as strongly as campylobacter-like organisms. cresyl violet is used to stain heinz bodies in red blood corpuscles or for staining of the neurons in the brain and spinal cord. it is used to demonstrate the nissl substance in the neurons and cell nuclei. in this role it is also often used as a counterstain to luxol fast blue, which stains the myelin.