murexide

[ myoo-rek-sahyd, -sid ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a reddish-purple, crystalline, sparingly water-soluble solid, C 8 H 8 N 6 O 6 , having a green luster, formerly used as a dye.

Word History and Origins

Origin of murexide¹

First recorded in 1830–40; murex + -ide ( def )

Example Sentences

The problem is solved: the colouring-matter which has just formed is murexide; and consequently the powdery substance which filled the cells was none other than uric acid, or more precisely ammonium urate.

From Project Gutenberg

Dissolved in water, the murexide derived from uric acid is a magnificent crimson.

From Project Gutenberg

Treated with nitric acid, the adipose tissue of the Decticus produces an effervescence similar to that of chalk and yields enough murexide to redden a tumblerful of water.

From Project Gutenberg

All those parts, in fact, which lie immediately under the translucid skin are covered with a layer of pigment which can be turned into murexide and is identical in nature with the white powder of the adipose lace.

From Project Gutenberg

The pigment, no matter what its hue, dissolves with effervescence and afterwards yields murexide.

From Project Gutenberg