15. Discussion It is more specific for pentoses than the bial’s test because it can detect as little as 0.01 mg of a pentose. The presence of a high concentration of hexoses does not interfere with the test. A positive test is indicated by the formation of a cherry red color.
16. Application When testing for pentose in urine, the urine (0.1 cc.) and benzidinesolution (0.5 cc.) is brought to vigorous boiling. The mixtureis cooled under tap water and 1 cc. of distilled water is added.In the presence of pentose a pink to red color is shown immediately,whereas if pentose is absent the mixture has a yellowish browncolor. Pentu