A reducing agent used in photographic development and chemistry, consisting of an aromatic compound with multiple amido groups that helps develop photographic images.
From 'amido' + '-ol' (hydroxyl group), named for its structure and function. Developed in the late 1800s as a key photographic chemical.
Amidol was like the magic potion photographers used—when you dipped a photo negative in amidol solution, it would slowly reveal the hidden image, which is pretty much what chemistry felt like to people before they understood how it worked.
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