2,2-Di(4-tert-octylphenyl)-1-picrylhydrazyl, free radical(DPPH) is a stable free radical with a long shelf life and can be synthesised and stored under normal laboratory conditions. It is also a commonly used antioxidant in the laboratory to assess the antioxidant potential of various compounds. It has the ability to measure the ability of compounds to scavenge free radicals and protect cells from oxidative damage. It is widely used to test the antioxidant capacity of botanical herbs, fruits, vegetables, lipids and proteins.
2,2-Di(4-tert-octylphenyl)-1-picrylhydrazyl can be used as a calibration standard in electron paramagnetic spectroscopy (EPR) and as a radical scavenger in polymers. It is also used as an efficient reagent in the “DPPH calorimetric assay” to study radical scavenging activities of diverse chemical compounds, mostly of phenolic nature. When DDPF reacts with antioxidant molecules, its color changes from deep purple to pale yellow, which allows the spectrophotometric determination of the antioxidant activity.