Question

what would most likely occur if you applied alcohol for only one second?
a) the gram - negative bacteria would decolorize, while the more robust gram - positive bacteria would remain unaffected and retain their purple stain
b) gram - negative bacteria would not decolorize like they should, and all bacteria would therefore remain purple
c) gram - negative bacteria would not decolorize like they should, and all bacteria would therefore remain pink
d) the gram - negative bacteria would decolorize, while the more robust gram - positive bacteria would remain unaffected and retain their pink stain

Explanation:

In Gram - staining, alcohol is used as a decolorizing agent. Gram - negative bacteria have a thinner peptidoglycan layer. For proper decolorization of Gram - negative bacteria, alcohol needs to act for an appropriate time (usually around 20 - 30 seconds). If alcohol is applied for only one second, it is not sufficient to remove the crystal - violet - iodine complex from Gram - negative bacteria. Both Gram - positive (which retain crystal - violet due to thick peptidoglycan) and Gram - negative (which should lose crystal - violet but don't due to insufficient decolorization) will retain the purple stain (from crystal - violet).

Answer:

B. Gram - negative bacteria would not decolorize like they should, and all bacteria would therefore remain purple