NINHYDRIN REAGENT

Uses

Ninhydrin reagent has been used to confirm the presence of the amino acid moieties in various reactions.

Biochem/physiol Actions

Ninhydrin is a tricyclic 1,2,3-trione, which functions as an amino acid reagent. It?is a vital organic building block, which exposes latent fingerprints on porous surfaces like paper, cardboard and raw wood. Ninhydrin is used to detect primary and secondary amines. It gives a strong blue color with primary amines and a less intense brown-red color with secondary amine.