
The bright green on the plumber’s coveralls gave Bailey an idea. Instead of using fluorescein as a pollution control, why not dump a hundred pounds of the stuff into the river, and turn the river green for St. Patrick’s Day? In an impressive display of the clout of a strong union in a strong union town, and that is just what they did.
So next St. Patrick’s Day pull out a FAM-labeled oligo from the back of your lab fridge, and raise a glass to the astoundingly useful dye, and then raise it one more time for that mighty bright green river, the Chicago.
IDT provides a selection of fluorescein dyes, including Fluorescein Freedom™ Dyes that have no patent licensing restrictions.