Presumptive test

In medical and forensic science, a presumptive test is an analysis of a sample which establishes either:

1. The sample is definitely not a certain substance
2. The sample probably is the substance.

Additional recommended knowledge

Weighing the right way

Don't let static charges disrupt your weighing accuracy

What is the Correct Way to Check Repeatability in Balances?

For example, the Kastle-Meyer test will show that a sample is not blood, or that the sample is probably blood (but it may be one of a range of less common substances). Further chemical testing is required to prove that the substance is blood.

In medicine, a presumptive diagnosis identifies the likely condition a patient has.

Examples

• Cobalt thiocyanate test‎
• Duquenois-Levine reagent‎
• Kastle-Meyer test
• Marquis reagent