Use in Forensic Science
Sodium nitroprusside is used by forensic chemists in a preliminary test in the identification of illicit substances. The test, called Simon's test, is performed by adding 1 volume of a solution of SNP and acetaldehyde in deionized water to a suspected drug, followed by the addition of 2 volumes of an aqueous sodium carbonate solution. The test turns blue for some secondary amines. The most common secondary amines encountered in forensic chemistry include 3,4-methylenedixoymethamphetamine (MDMA, the main component in Ecstasy) and phenethylamines such as methamphetamine.
Read more about this topic: Sodium Nitroprusside
Famous quotes containing the word science:
“It is impossible to dissociate language from science or science from language, because every natural science always involves three things: the sequence of phenomena on which the science is based; the abstract concepts which call these phenomena to mind; and the words in which the concepts are expressed. To call forth a concept, a word is needed; to portray a phenomenon, a concept is needed. All three mirror one and the same reality.”
—Antoine Lavoisier (1743–1794)