simple stain

 

No, the Gram stain is not a simple stain. It is a differential stain.

Here’s the difference:

• Simple stain:
  
• Uses only one dye (like methylene blue or crystal violet).
• Helps you see the shape, size, and arrangement of bacteria.
• Does not distinguish between different types of bacteria.
• 
  
• Gram stain:
  
• Uses multiple dyes (crystal violet, iodine, alcohol, and safranin).
• It differentiates bacteria into Gram-positive (purple) and Gram-negative (pink).
• Based on differences in the cell wall structure.
• 
  

So, the Gram stain is a differential staining technique, not a simple one.