Luminol is a substance used widely in Forensic Science to detect blood
and other body fluids under ultra-violet light,  not easily seen by
the naked eye.

I want to know where can an average person buy Luminol??

If it is not possible to buy it, how can it be made? Where to buy the
ingredients, and how much knowledge of chemistry do you need to be
able to make it?

Also, someone once mention to me that Luminol has a very short "shelf"
life, and it is mixed or made prior to use. Is this true??

What other uses exist for luminol besides forensic science?

Thanks in advance to anyone interested in answering or placing a
comment!!

Hello midcat and thank you for your question.

Yes you can buy it, however you should rememeber that Luminol is a
chemical and as such the manufacturers instructions should be followed
very carefully to avoid accidents.

"Luminol is noncorrosive but is liable to cause inflammation through
immediate, prolonged, or repeated contact with the skin or mucous
membranes.
The following synthesis procedure, the test of luminescence, and the
detection of blood should be carried out under a ventilated hood using
latex gloves, protective clothing, and eye-protection."
http://www.clubs.psu.edu/sciencelions/demos/LuminolDemo.doc

"Luminol Reagent (6 Vials - 4oz Each)      $ 19.95"
"Luminol is a well-known and widely used method for the visualization
of blood stains. This highly sensitive technique is commonly utilized
to locate very dilute blood and areas where attempts have bbn made to
wash away the blood. This method has also been used to visualize
previously invisible bloody footwear impressions on crime scenes.
However, in the past, Luminol has been problematic to use on crime
scenes because of the tedious measuring and mixing required. Doje's
has developed a premixed and premeasured formulation for luminol that
removes the hassle with using Luminol on crime scenes. Just take one
vial of our Luminol reagent, add to water, shake gently and spray the
suspected area with a pump sprayer of spray head."
http://www.dojes.com/enter.html?target=zsuzuBlood_Detection_zg_Enhancementzszpuzu.html
(Near the bottom of the page)
I followed the purchasing process upto the point where I was asked for
my credit card number, and didnīt encounter any restictions on
purchase.

If you wanted to make it yourself you could, but (despite what it says
below) you would need some detailed experience and a working
laboratory in which to produce it.
"Luminol is commercially available from several suppliers and
relatively inexpensive, however if desired it can be synthesised
without any great difficulties.  Numerous recipes have been published
over the years [3-6]."
http://www.chem.leeds.ac.uk/delights/texts/Demonstration_23.htm

For a great (and not too scientific) explanation of how Luminol works
click on the link below:
"In this edition of HowStuffWorks, we'll find out how this strange
compound, commonly known as luminol, reveals hidden crime scenes. As
we'll see, this chemical is just as cool as it sounds, but it does
have drawbacks and limitations not usually addressed on TV."
http://www.howstuffworks.com/luminol.htm

Luminol is also used in "glow sticks" http://www.extremeglow.com/ and
in some emergency road side:
lighting.http://www.lightemotions.com/security14&4stickmain.htm

Thank you for your question.

Best regards

THX1138

Search strategy included:
luminol  "shelf life"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&as_qdr=all&q=+luminol++%22shelf+life%22&btnG=Google+Search

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Clarification of Answer by thx1138-ga on 05 Dec 2002 05:49 PST

Hello again midcat, and thank you for the five stars, your kind words,
and your generous bonus!

You said "but with all my heart and hope that in a near future I will
be able to make up for it!!"
You have nothing to 'make up' for!  the fact that you were very happy
with your answer is the main objective!  Iīm glad you were happy with
your first experience of Google Answers :)

Best regards

THX1138

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Clarification of Answer by thx1138-ga on 05 Dec 2002 06:16 PST

Sorry,  I forgot to mention you can get the "Money tree" here:
http://www.ecfloristgifts.com/Money-Tree.html  from $49.99 with clay pot.

:)

THX1138

WOW!! This was my very first question here in Google Answers and I
must say that I am trully impressed!! Thank you so much thx1138-ga!!

Also, I want to thank peskyeskie-ga for his INCREDIBLE addition to
this question by showing us a completely new way to use LUMINOL!!! (I
HAD NO IDEA it could be use in such an amazing way on the spinal
cord!!) Good luck in all the experiments and please let us know more
about it!!

Last, but not least, I also want to thank polygeek-ga for that superb
explanation of the "official" chemical name for Luminol & the cool
link!!

Thank you all who took the time to write and join in!! and in advance
to everyone who is interested in my question and the great answer &
comments!!

PS: Sorry, broke and with a large family expecting expensive gifts for
the holidays has left me thinking about my next question: Where do I
get a money tree?, but meanwhile, I wanted to show my grattitude by
offering a small (very small)-sorry!- token of appreciation, so I
include a little monetary tip, but with all my heart and hope that in
a near future I will be able to make up for it!!

Coincidence spotting this today! I'm doing research in neuroscience in
 a university lab in the UK.

I'll be using luminol this afternoon as part of an experiment looking
at protein levels in spinal cord. This is just one of the other
applications for luminol.

To sum up - I separate all the protiens in a region of the spinal cord
according to their relative size and then look for the particular
protein of interest using an antibody that is specific for it. This
antibody has the enzyme horse-radish peroxidase (HRP) tagged onto it.

I will mix luminol with coumaric acid, and as the HRP speeds up the
reaction between luminol and coumaric acid it gives off light.

So when I'm in the darkroom with a bit of photographic film and a
membrane covered in protein, hoping that it glows for all it's worth,
I'll be thinking what other people are usng the chemical for around
the world!

Soph

Luminol is also used in a cool demo used by some chemistry
teachers--mixing luminol solution with bleach produces a neat blue
phosphorescent solution.  Its "official" chemical name is
5-amino-2,3-dihydro-1,4-phthalazinedione; you can see the chemical
structure, safety data, etc. by searching for "3-aminophthalhydrazide"
at www.sigmaaldrich.com (you may have to register at the site, but
it's free)