The chemical estimation of adrenaline-like substances in blood

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Abstract
The fluorimetric method consists of the following steps: (a) filtration of plasma-buffer mixture (pH 8.4) through a column of acid-washed alumina and elution of the adsorbed amines by dilute acetic acid; (b) heating of the eluate at 50[degree] with a mixture of ethylenediamine and ethylenediamine diHCl; (c) extraction of a stable fluorescent condensation product with isobutanol; and (d) measurement of fluorescence. Adrenochrome is trapped in the nascent state and quantitatively converted into a stable condensation product. Added epinephrine was quantitatively recovered with a standard deviation of about 5%. Concns. of 1 [image]g./l. may be determined. The method is specific for amines derived from catechol. Expressed in terms of epinephrine the mean concn. observed in human venous blood under normal conditions is about 3 [image]g./l. The fluorescence formed from nor-epinephrine is 20% of that produced by epinephrine.