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ninhydrin

Structure via PubChem · Public domain (PubChem)

EntityQ421098· pop 25· linked from 43 articles

Also known as 2,2-Dihydroxyindane-1,3-dione, 1,2,3-Indantrione, 2-hydrate, Triketohydrindene hydrate, 2,2-Dihydroxy-1,3-indandione, 1,2,3-Indantrione monohydrate

Ninhydrin (2,2-dihydroxyindane-1,3-dione) is an organic compound with the formula C6H4(CO)2C(OH)2. It is used to detect ammonia and amines. Upon reaction with these amines, ninhydrin gets converted into deep blue or purple derivatives, which are called Ruhemann's purple. Ninhydrin is most commonly used to detect fingerprints in forensic cases, as the terminal amines of lysine residues in peptides and proteins sloughed off in fingerprints react with ninhydrin.

Chemical data

Formula
C9H6O4
Molecular weight
178.14 g/mol
IUPAC name
2,2-dihydroxyindene-1,3-dione
SMILES
C1=CC=C2C(=C1)C(=O)C(C2=O)(O)O
InChIKey
FEMOMIGRRWSMCU-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP
0.1
Polar surface area
74.6 Ų
H-bond donors
2
H-bond acceptors
4
Formal charge
0

via PubChem

Wikidata facts

Mass
178.027
Show 3 more facts
chemical formula
C₉H₆O₄
canonical SMILES
C1=CC=C2C(=C1)C(=O)C(C2=O)(O)O
Commons category
Ninhydrin
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~5 min read

Article

7 sections
Contents
  • History
  • Uses
  • Forensics
  • Reactivity
  • Effects on health
  • See also
  • References

Ninhydrin (2,2-dihydroxyindane-1,3-dione) is an organic compound with the formula C6H4(CO)2C(OH)2. It is used to detect ammonia and amines. Upon reaction with these amines, ninhydrin gets converted into deep blue or purple derivatives, which are called Ruhemann's purple. Ninhydrin is most commonly used to detect fingerprints in forensic cases, as the terminal amines of lysine residues in peptides and proteins sloughed off in fingerprints react with ninhydrin.

Ninhydrin is a white solid that is soluble in ethanol and acetone. Ninhydrin can be considered as the hydrate of indane-1,2,3-trione.

Gallery (5)

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