Mercurochrome (also known as merbromin) is a topical antiseptic. Its antiseptic qualities were discoverd by Johns Hopkins doctor Hugh Young in 1919. The chemical soon became popular among parents and doctors for everyday antiseptic uses, mostly in tincture form. The FDA banned its distribution in the United States in the 1990s over fears of mercury poisoning.

It is also used as a chemical dye for its bright red color.

Chemically, mercurochrome is C₂₀H₈Br₂HgNa₂O₆, name dibromohydroxymercurifluorescein.

External links

Mercurochrome.org, a group trying to reverse the FDA ban (http://www.mercurochrome.org/)