Bromocresol purple (BCP) or 5′,5″-dibromo-o-cresolsulfophthalein, is a dye of the triphenylmethane family (triarylmethane dyes) and a pH indicator. It is colored yellow below pH 5.2, and violet above pH 6.8. In its cyclic sulfonate ester form, it has a pKa value of 6.3, and is usually prepared as a 0.04% aqueous solution.[1]
Bromocresol purple is used in medical laboratories to measure albumin. Use of BCP in this application may provide some advantage over older methods using bromocresol green.[2][3] In microbiology, it is used for staining dead cells based on their acidity, and for the isolation and assaying of lactic acid bacteria.[4][5]
In photographic processing, it can be used as an additive to acid stop baths to indicate that the bath has reached neutral pH and needs to be replaced.[6]
Bromocresol purple milk solids glucose agar is used as a medium used to distinguish dermatophytes from bacteria and other organisms in cases of ringworm fungus (T. verrucosum) infestation in cattle and other animals.[7][8]
pH Indicator
Similar to bromocresol green, the structure of bromocresol purple changes with pH. Changing the level of acidity causes a shift in the equilibrium between two different structures that have different colors. In near-neutral or alkaline solution, the chemical has a sulfonate structure that gives the solution a purple color. As the pH decreases, it converts to a sultone (cyclic sulfonic ester) that colors the solution yellow. In some microbiology tests, this change is used as an indicator of bacterial growth.[9][10]
^Ito, Shigenori; Yamamoto, Daisuke (2010-02-02). "Mechanism for the color change in bromocresol purple bound to human serum albumin". Clinica Chimica Acta. 411 (3): 294–295. doi:10.1016/j.cca.2009.11.019. PMID19932090.
^Kurzweilová, H.; Sigler, K. (November 1993). "Fluorescent staining with bromocresol purple: a rapid method for determining yeast cell dead count developed as an assay of killer toxin activity". Yeast. 9 (11): 1207–1211. doi:10.1002/yea.320091107. PMID7509098. S2CID44782970.
^Kane, J.; Summerbell, R.; Sigler, L.; Krajden, S.; Land, G. (1997). Laboratory Handbook of Dermatophytes: A Clinical Guide and Laboratory Handbook of Dermatophytes and Other Filamentous Fungi from Skin, Hair, and Nails. Belmont, CA: Star Publishing Company. ISBN9780898631579.