Etymology of "Alcian"
According to Elsevier's dictionary of chemoetymology the Alcian in Alcian Blue might have been coined by contraction (and slight alteration) of phthalocyanine.". Oxford online dictionary mentions that it was a trademark and also specifies
- "1940s: Alcian perhaps from (phth)al(o)cyan(ine) with a phonetic respelling".
This hypothesis is consistent with the name of Alcian green which is a tetraphenyl-phthalocyanine with copper.
However Prof. J.E. Scott who had cracked the Chemistry of Alcian Blue himself and later received confirmation from the manufacturer (ICI) wrote that Alcian was a trademark that ICI preferred to be spelt starting with a capital "A", and he presumes it came from the old English word "halcyon", which has a "romantic and poetic associations with the kingfisher bird and calm seas". Prof. Scott also states that Alcian green was merely a mixture of Alcian Blue and Alcian yellow and not a single compound, which is also supported by thin layer chromatography data from various sources e.g. works by another dye expert Prof. R.W. Horobin - one of the two chief editors of the 10th edition of the 75 year old "Conn's Biological Stains Manual" published on behalf of the Biological Stain Commission.
Alcian Yellow is an azo dye which neither has a phthalocyanine ring nor any of the colors of the Kingfisher, but in common with Alcian blue, has hydrolyzable charged thiouronium side-chains and similar stability of the final stained product. On the other hand there are other phthalocyanine dyes like Luxol fast blue and Durazol blue which have not acquired "Alcian" as a part of their names.
Read more about this topic: Alcian Blue Stain
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