10-Benzoylleucomethylene Blue was used as a color-forming agent in colorless copying paper. It is also recommended for documents to make them safe against forgery.
10-Benzoylleucomethylene Blue[1249-97-4] is obtained by reduction of Methylene Blue with hydrosulfite in aqueous alkaline medium, followed by benzoylation and then extraction of the crude product with toluene.
The mechanism of color-forming decomposition of N-benzoylleucomethylene blue during the copying process has been studied; the reaction is induced by photons and proceeds via free radicals.
