There are several different assays to detect the products of digestive enzymes (hydrolases). since chemical changes cannot be se
en with the naked eye, these assays require the use of a color-changing indicator. what chemical indicator, when added to a solution and heated, changes from blue to green to orange in the presence of reducing sugars?
The answer is benedict’s reagent. Benedict’s
test is used to detect reducing sugars in solution when heated. The color
change occurs from clear blue to a brick-red precipitate in the presence of the
reducing sugars. The cupric compounds in
the benedicts reagent react with the reducing sugars (enediols) produced from
heating of the reducing sugars in the presence of an alkali. Benedict's reagent is comprised of a mixture of sodium citrate, sodium carbonate, and
copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate.
