Question

One technique for staining bacteria for viewing under the microscope is called the Gram stain. In this technique, alcohol is used as a decolorizer because it degrades the outer membrane found in some bacteria. What chemical component of the cell does alcohol affect?

Answer 1

Answer: Lipids

Explanation:

In gram staining procedures, alcohol serve as the decolorizing agent.

The alcohol, being an organic solvent dissolves lipids present in the outer cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria, allowing the gram stain to leak out of the thinner peptidoglycan layer unlike in Gram-positive bacteria with thicker peptidoglycan layer

Thus, lipids are the chemical components affected by alcohol.