Explain the ninhydrin reaction.
Amino acids are oxidized to aldehyde and ammonia when heated. The liberated ammonia reacts with ninhydrin to produce an intense blue to purple color. The free amino groups on the N terminal end of proteins and peptides also give rise to ammonia to give the characteristic color with ninhydrin. Both amino acids and proteins give a positive test with ninhydrin reagent. Use to locate the amino acids in the technique of paper chromatography.
What can the ninhydrin test be used for?
To distinguish if there are amino acids or protiens present