Question

Biuret reagent will indicate the presence of

Answer 1

Biuret reagent will indicate the presence of protein in a given sample. It is also known as the Piotrowski's test. This reagent consists of copper (II) sulfate and sodium hydroxide. It detects peptide bonds by the reaction of the copper ions in an alkaline solution. The copper ions would form violet colored complexes when peptide is present in the solution. From this test, concentration can be calculated since the intensity of the color depends on the amount of peptide bonds and according to the Beer-Lambert law concentration and the absorption of light is proportional. The concentration is calculated by a spectrophotometric technique at a wavelength of 540 nm.