Laboratory Techniques

Abstract

The "dispersion staining" method is used for observing textile fibers in colors which aid in the determination of their structure and in their identification. Fibers which are classified as striated or microscopically structureless are distinguished by this technique without the need for any special preparation of the fiber. A sample is mounted in a liquid of high dispersion which has a refractive index near that of the fiber and the fiber is identified by the resulting coloration, using an ordinary compound microscope set-up for dark-field illumination.