The Adamkiewicz reaction is part of a biochemical test used to detect the presence of the amino acid tryptophan in proteins.
Without glyoxylic acid, the reaction failed, even if other conditions remained unchanged.
This interaction highlights tryptophan's central role in the test, as proteins lacking this amino acid do not produce the characteristic color change.
[4][5] Later studies proposed that the reaction involves a condensation process, where glyoxylic acid combines with the indole group of tryptophan to form a complex quinonoid structure.
This process explains the strong color change observed in the test and has been key to understanding tryptophan's chemical properties and its function in proteins.