The history and properties of Methylene Blue

Methylene Blue was first synthesized in 1876 from derivatives of coal tar by German chemist Inrich Cara. Its entry into medicine was catalyzed by German physician scientist Paul Erlich, who successfully treated the first two malaria patients with it in 1891. This marked the dawning of the era of modern pharmacology. Methylene Blue is a redox reactive dye, capable of gaining or losing two electrons, which is the basis for the blue bottle experiment used in chemistry classes to identify unknown mixtures.