Chromogenic reaction of selected amino acids with neurotoxic (1,2-DAB) and non-neurotoxic (1,3-DAB) isomers of diacetylbenzene. Values represent mean absorbance ± standard deviation of the purple/blue color read at 540 nm on a scanning spectrophotometer. In triplicate, 0.5 ml aliquots of amino acid solution (0.1M phosphate buffer, pH 7.4) were incubated with 0.5 ml of 1,2-DAB or 1,3-DAB (1 mM) at 37°C for 30 or 60 minutes. L-Lysine, glycine and γ-aminobutyric acid and ornithine, a non-protein amino acid and higher homologue of L-lysine, were the most reactive of 22 tested amino acids. L-Cysteine was among the least reactive of the amino acids tested. Modified from Kim et al.48