Ninhydrin

Ninhydrin is a chemical reagent used in forensic science and chemistry to detect amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. When it reacts with amino acids, it produces a characteristic purple or blue-purple color, making it useful for revealing fingerprints on porous surfaces like paper. The color change occurs because ninhydrin reacts with the amino groups in amino acids, creating a visible pigment. It is valuable in fingerprint analysis, organic chemistry, and biochemical research for identifying the presence of amino acids and studying the composition of biological samples.