1. Plural of ninhydrin; chemical compounds used in analytical chemistry to detect and identify amino acids and proteins through a color-forming reaction.
Usage: technical; chemistry

Examples

• Ninhydrins are commonly used in laboratory tests to identify amino acids in protein samples.
• The forensic team applied ninhydrins to the fingerprints to enhance their visibility.
• In biochemistry, ninhydrins produce a characteristic purple color when they react with amino acids.
• Researchers use ninhydrins to analyze the amino acid composition of unknown compounds.
• The ninhydrins test is a standard procedure in many analytical chemistry courses.