ninhydrin

[ nin-hahy-drin ]
/ nɪnˈhaɪ drɪn /

noun Chemistry.

a white or yellow, toxic, crystalline or powdery compound, C9H4O3⋅H2O, that reddens when heated above 100°C, a monohydrate, soluble in water or alcohol: used primarily as a reagent to detect the presence of various amino acids.

Origin of ninhydrin

From German, registered as a trademark for the drug in 1912

British Dictionary definitions for ninhydrin

ninhydrin
/ (nɪnˈhaɪdrɪn) /

noun

a chemical reagent used for the detection and analysis of primary amines, esp amino acids, with which it forms a derivative with an intense purple colour

Word Origin for ninhydrin

C20: from the chemical name triketo hydrindene

Medical definitions for ninhydrin

ninhydrin
[ nĭn-hīdrĭn ]

n.

A poisonous crystalline oxidizing agent used as an analytic reagent.