Another way dyes are classified is by their mechanism of action.
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Adsorption: A physical reaction dependent on both the charge of the dye and the charge of the tissue.
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Direct (progressive) staining: The dye is differentially absorbed into the tissue during a pre-determined staining time. When this time is reached, the process is stopped. This results in the desired degree and selectivity of staining. This is also referred to as progressive staining.
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Indirect (regressive) staining: Indirect staining is also referred to as regressive staining. Tissue is overstained and then, using a a process called differentiation, the excess stain is removed until a crisp delineation of the desired parts is achieved. Monitoring of this differentiation process is done microscopically.
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Mordant: Employs a metal to strongly attach the dye to a tissue. The attachment of mordants to dyes forms a "dye-lake" and is accomplished by means of a covalent and a coordinate bond. A covalent bond is a type of chemical bond involving the sharing of electrons between atoms in a molecule. A coordinate bond is a type of covalent bond in which both the shared electrons are contributed by one of the two atoms.