  Silver staining detects proteins after electrophoretic separation on
polyacrylamide gels. Its main positive features are its excellent sensitivity
(in the low nanogram range) and the use of very simple and cheap equipment and
chemicals. The sequential phases of silver staining are protein fixation, then
sensitization, then silver impregnation, and finally image development. Several
variants of silver staining are described here, which can be completed in a
time range from 2 h to 1 day after the end of the electrophoretic separation.
Once completed, the stain is stable for several weeks.
