Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A yellow crystalline organic compound, C8H7N3O2, that exhibits blue chemiluminescence when activated by an oxidizing agent. Luminol can be used in forensic investigations to detect blood stains, in which case the iron in hemoglobin acts as the activating oxidant.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun organic chemistry A chemical that exhibits blue chemiluminescence when mixed with an appropriate oxidizing agent, molecular formula C8H7N3O2.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin lūmen, lūmin-, light; see lumen + –ol.]

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Examples

  • And when they went in there the other night with that luminol, which is the chemical that you spray, where you think there is some blood, you turn the lights down, you spray it, and then it illumines a bright blue for about 30 seconds, that's when they found it.

    CNN Transcript Jan 13, 2008 2008

  • The oxygen-carrying protein in the blood called hemoglobin could be exposed using a chemical mixture known as luminol.

    Street Judge 2008

  • The oxygen-carrying protein in the blood called hemoglobin could be exposed using a chemical mixture known as luminol.

    Street Judge 2008

  • The oxygen-carrying protein in the blood called hemoglobin could be exposed using a chemical mixture known as luminol.

    Street Judge 2008

  • The luminol is a presumptive test for the presence of blood.

    CNN Transcript Jan 12, 2006 2006

  • March 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Inspired by detectives on TV shows who often spray crime scenes with a compound called luminol to make the blood glow, researchers are using the same compound to mark sites where the immune system attacks the body's own tissues, causing auto-immune diseases.

    Gaea Times (by Simple Thoughts) Breaking News and incisive views 24/7 2009

  • St. Louis, March 20, 2009 - Detectives on television shows often spray crime scenes with a compound called luminol to make blood glow.

    EurekAlert! - Breaking News 2009

  • March 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Inspired by detectives on TV shows who often spray crime scenes with a compound called luminol to make the blood glow, researchers are using the same compound to mark sites where the immune system attacks the body's own tissues, causing auto-immune diseases.

    Gaea Times (by Simple Thoughts) Breaking News and incisive views 24/7 2009

  • The addition of luminol, a chemical that produces a blue glow, revealed that phagocytes had specific patterns for each type of infection, the study found.

    Dental Exams May Help Diagnose Diabetes Ann Lukits 2011

  • For one thing, a luminol test of the shoes from the Scotts Flat Reservoir showed no sign of blood spatter of any kind.

    Fatal Error J.A. Jance 2011

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