[citation needed] Murexide results from the condensation of the unisolated intermediate uramil [de] with alloxan liberated during the course of the reaction.

William Prout investigated the compound in 1818 and he used boa constrictor excrement with up to 90% ammonium acid urate.

In the chapter "Nitrogen" of his memoir The Periodic Table, Primo Levi tells of his futile attempt to make alloxan for a cosmetics manufacturer who has read that it can cause permanent reddening of the lips.

[2] Alloxan monohydrate also undergoes one-electron reduction to form yellow salts containing a stable radical anion:[10] Alloxan is a toxic glucose analogue, which selectively destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas (that is, beta cells) when administered to rodents and many other animal species.

[12] Alloxan (C4H2N2O4) readily undergoes redox cycling with its one-electron (C4H3N2O4• semiquinone) and two-electron (dialuric acid, C4H4N2O4) reduction products.

In addition, alloxan has a high affinity to SH-containing cellular compounds and, as a result, reduces glutathione content.

Furthermore, alloxan inhibits glucokinase, a SH-containing protein essential for insulin secretion induced by glucose.

[17][18] Alloxan is, however, toxic to the liver and the kidneys in high doses, as these are tissues where the GLUT2 transporter is expressed in humans.