title: Quirks of dye nomenclature. 6. Malachite green.
abstract: Malachite green was discovered independently by two researchers in Germany in the 19(th) century and found immediate employment as a dye and a pigment. Subsequently, other uses, such as staining biological specimens, emerged. A much later application was the control of fungal and protozoan infections in fish, for which the dye remains popular, although illegal in many countries owing to a variety of toxicity problems. In solution, malachite green can exist as five different species depending on the pH. The location of the positive charge of the colored cation on a carbon atom or a nitrogen atom is still debated. The original names of this dye, and their origins, are briefly surveyed.
authors.affiliation: a Watford , United Kingdom.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Cooksey
mesh_terms: D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D015394:Molecular Structure; D012394:Rosaniline Dyes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000266:history; D009626:Terminology as Topic
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D012394:Rosaniline Dyes; C005095:malachite green
keywords: cationic dye; disinfectant; fish; green dye; history; manufacture; nomenclature; triphenylmethane