The color reaction between borates and curcumin is used for the spectrophotometric determination and quantification of boron present in food or materials.

In rosocyanine, the two curcumin moieties are not coplanar but rather perpendicular relative to one another (as seen in the 3D model), as a result of the tetrahedral geometry of tetracoordinate boron.

In order to exclude the presence of other materials during the boron quantification using the curcumin method, a variant of the process was developed.

The reaction of curcumin with borates in presence of oxalic acid produces the coloring compound rubrocurcumin.

Rosocyanine is a dark green solid with a glossy, metallic shine that forms red colored solutions.