AJBell

I am trying to elucidate the mechanism of a staining reaction, but in order to do so I need to know about the solubility of phenol in water and in ethanol (ethyl alcohol at 95%) and the relationship of the solubility to temperature. I know that in water the solubility of phenol increases with temperature, but is the solubility of phenol in ethanol higher or lower than in water at room temperature and above? Any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated. If you have read so far, thank you. The situation I have is actually a little different than I originally made out; I have fuchsin (cationic dye) dissolved in phenol, which is itself in a lipid enviroment. I beleive the phenol has a higer affinity for the lipid than water unless the water is heated, at which point the phenol moves accross to water. When we use ethanol however, we don't see the same. My thinking is that the phenol (carbonic fuchsin to be precise) is more soluble in lipid and in water than in ethanol (of course there is also the possibility of salts interferring). Is this correct? Or would the carbol fuchsin be more soluble in the ethanol? With regards, Andrew