Medical Dictionary

Reinsch test

noun \ˈrīnsh-\

Medical Definition of REINSCH TEST

:  a test for the presence especially of arsenic, antimony, and mercury in which a strip of clean pure copper foil is heated with the test material in acid solution and then if a black or gray stain appears on the foil, it is heated in a test tube to produce a sublimate deposited in the upper part of the tube in a form characteristic of arsenic, antimony, or mercury if any of these are present

Biographical Note for REINSCH TEST

Reinsch, Adolf (1862–1916), German physician. Reinsch was a professor and director of chemical research for the city of Altona, which is now part of Hamburg. He was involved with the bacteriological and chemical testing of Altona's water supply.

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