BLOOD ACETONE BODIES 



153 



If the blood is diluted with much more than 10 volumes of 

 water before the mercury is added, coagulation of the proteins 

 is considerably slower, hence the reason for not completing the 

 dilution until after the coagulation has occurred. 



Plasma or Serum. Eight c.c. of oxalate plasma or of serum 

 are diluted in a 200 c.c. flask with 50 c.c. of water and 15 c.c. of 

 the mercuric sulphate are added. The flask is shaken for a moment, 

 until the fine precipitate which first forms has flocculated, and is 

 then filled to the mark with water. After standing fifteen minutes 

 or longer the solution is filtered. 



Determinations. For determination of acetone plus ace- 

 toacetic acid, of /3-hydroxybutyric acid, or of the total acetone 

 bodies together, 125 c.c. of the filtrate, equivalent to 5 c.c. of 

 either blood or plasma, may be treated exactly as the 25 c.c. of 

 urine filtrate plus 100 c.c. of water in urine analysis. (See urine 

 method.) 



It should be noted, however, that the precipitate should be 

 filtered soon after the period of boiling is ended. If the mixture 

 is allowed to cool and stand for several hours, several mg. of 

 flocculent precipitate of indefinite origin may form an4 cause 

 a plus error of appreciable magnitude in the results. 



FACTORS FOR CALCULATING RESULTS WHEN FILTRATE 

 EQUIVALENT TO 5 c.c. OF BLOOD IS USED FOR DETERMI- 

 NATION 



Determination Performed 



Total acetone bodies 



/3-hydroxybutyric acid 



Acetone plus acetoacetic acid . 



ACETONE BODIES, CALCULATED AS GM. 

 OF ACETONE PER LITER OF BLOOD, 

 INDICATED BY 



1 gm. of precipitate 



12.8 



13.2(14.0)* 



10.0 



lc.c.of0.2MKI 

 solution 



0.161 



0.172(0.183)* 



0.130 



* (These factors are used when .fl-hydroxybutyric acid is determined in the filtrate from 

 the precipitated acetone and acetoacetic acid as described above. In this case the amount 



of filtrate taken for the /3-acid determination is equivalent to only j=r of 5 c.c. of blood, 

 and the factor must be correspondingly increased.) 



