Malachite green colored cation. The oxalate salt is also marketed. The anions have no effect on the color. The intense green color of the cation results from a strong absorption band at 621 nm (extinction coefficient of ). Malachite green is prepared by the condensation of benzaldehyde and dimethylaniline to give leuco malachite green (LMG): Second, this colorless leuco compound, a relative of triphenylmethane, is oxidized to the cation that is MG: A typical oxidizing agent is manganese dioxide. Hydrolysis of MG gives an alcohol: This alcohol is important because it, not MG, traverses cell membranes. Once inside the cell, it is
The Malachite Box showed that he used vague folkloric beliefs and molded then into an original mythology. When asked whether his early stories were closer to folklore sources, Bazhov agreed. As time went by, he became less depended on the folklore and more independent as a writer. The current consensus among the folklore specialists is that he used the fragments of legends and bound them together by his own creative imagination. The first edition of "The Malachite Box" was released on 28 January 1939. It consisted of an introduction titled "The Watchhouse on Dumna Mountain" and 14 stories, based on the oral lore