ROBUST METAL COMPLEXES, FERROCENYLMETHYL CARBOXYHYDRAZIDE AND 1-CHLOROMERCURIFERROCENE, AS ELECTRON-OPAQUE STAINS FOR ALDEHYDES AND THIOL GROUPS

Abstract

Ferrocenylmethyl carboxyhydrazide has been used for the ultrastructural localization of glycogen, the glycocalyx of cat intestine and deoxyribonucleic acid. l-Chloromercuriferrocene is introduced as a stain for thiol groups in wool. Both compounds are examples of a potentially useful class of cytochemical stains made from a "robust" metal complex by inserting a suitable functional group on the periphery of the molecule. In such stains, where the metal is firmly bound, the need to carry out chelation reactions in the tissues is avoided and the risk of random metal deposition is greatly diminished.