If you've ever had a thyroid test, pregnancy test or COVID test, you've already come into contact with reagents in use. Reagents are a requisite part of any chemical reaction. If you're entering a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) field, you may come across various reagents in your daily work.

What are reagents used for? They have many uses in a laboratory and other settings. Reagents add a substance or chemical compound to set off a chemical reaction. Technicians can use this reaction to test for a chemical's presence, making them excellent for reaching certain diagnoses or conducting lab experiments. This article examines the purpose of reagents and provides some examples so you can better understand their application within the STEM field.

What Are Reagents?

A reagent is simply a substance added to cause a chemical reaction, test for a specific chemical or establish whether a chemical reaction has already occurred. Confirming the presence of a substance often involves a color change of some sort.

While many people may assume reagents and reactants are the same, they are different. A reactant is present at the start of the chemical reaction and is consumed during the process. Reagents are added to the compound and are not necessarily used up during the chemical reaction.

To determine whether a specific substance is present, you would add a reagent and observe the reaction. If the reagent binds with the substance you're testing for, there will be an identifiable reaction confirming its existence. Adding a reagent to a compound can also change the chemical properties of the molecules. This makes reagents extremely useful for applications such as oxidizing water.

Medical professionals use reagents to test for — or rule out — some conditions and to confirm the presence of certain chemicals in the human body. Reagents can help test for everything from addictive substances to glucose levels and provide an invaluable diagnostic tool for the medical profession.

What Does Reagent-Grade Mean?

In simple terms, reagent grade means the reagent itself is pure and technicians are safe to use it in chemical testing and analysis. The American Chemical Society assesses what makes reagents of sufficient standard to qualify as reagent-grade. When you're beginning your career in the STEM field, you'll undoubtedly come across many reagent-grade compounds.

What Are Reagents Used For?

The purpose of a reagent is to facilitate a chemical reaction. They are used for numerous medical tests, including blood glucose and kidney function tests, and for chemical laboratory research. Some of the many uses of a reagent include the following:

• Detecting: Analysts use reagents to confirm the presence of another substance. A test for the presence of narcotics is an excellent example of this.
• Synthesizing: Adding a reagent can cause a chemical reaction that induces a chemical change to produce the desired product.
• Testing: Reagents can confirm the presence or absence of a substance, so medical professionals use them to test for medical conditions such as diabetes by measuring blood glucose levels.
• Researching: Reagents are often used in research work to establish the relationships and reactions between chemical and organic compounds.
• Diagnosing: Technicians can test for antibodies to determine whether someone is infected with a virus. These antibody tests were critical to mitigating the rapid spread of COVID-19.

What Are Examples of Reagents?

Most reagents in chemistry are inorganic compounds or small organic molecules. Reagents don't have to carry the name. Many organic and synthetic reagents are used in different applications across the STEM field. Some common reagent examples include the following:

• Fenton's reagent: This solution consists of hydrogen peroxide and iron catalyst solution. It's commonly used to oxidize waste water and contaminants. Many studies have proved the efficacy of Fenton's Reagent in this regard.
• Fehling's reagent: Lab technicians and medical professionals use Fehling's solution as part of diabetes diagnostics. It detects ketone functional groups and water-soluble aldehydes. This reagent screens urine for glucose and assists in detecting diabetes.
• Sakaguchi's reagent: This reagent compound is used to detect arginine in protein or in free forms.
• Collins reagent: This solid red reagent is often used for converting alcohols to ketones and aldehydes. It's beneficial in oxidizing compounds that show particular sensitivity to acids.
• Millon's reagent: A couple of drops in a test solution can test for the presence of soluble proteins. If they are present, the solution will take on a russet tone.

What Are Reagents in a Lab?

Laboratory reagents are used in lab tests to detect, measure or create other substances. They are added to laboratory tests to glean further information by observing how the different chemicals or compounds react with one another. Reagents can distinguish specific compounds or detect the presence of certain molecules.

For standard laboratory tests, technicians often rely on reagent kits to streamline the process and standardize results. Depending on the complexity of the test, the result could be a simple color change or a dynamic process involving advanced laboratory equipment. Specific reagents are used in analytical chemistry to discover or rule out the presence of different molecule types.

Some common reagent test kits you may come across in a laboratory setting include the following:

• Mandelin reagent kits: Technicians use this kit to test for alkaloids, which change color depending on the narcotic substance it binds with.
• Marquis reagent kits: These kits are used to detect the presence of LSD. The solution turns black when the chemical is present.
• PCR kits: These kits became a household name after the outbreak of COVID-19. They're more complex than the other testing kits, requiring specific enzymes to detect antibodies. Technicians require chromatography techniques to complete this test.
  
  
  

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