Acetoacetic Information and Courses from MediaLab, Inc.
These are the MediaLab courses that cover Acetoacetic and links to relevant pages within the course.
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| Three Kinds of Ketones When the body breaks down fat for energy, three intermediate products are formed. These products, collectively referred to as ketones, are acetone, acetoacetic acid, and beta-hydroxybutyric acid. Normally, the body gets the energy it needs from carbohydrates in the diet. However, stored fat is broken down and ketones are produced and appear in the urine if the diet does not contain enough carbohydrate to supply the body with glucose for energy or if the body cannot use glucose properly. | View Page |
| Testing for Ketone Bodies Testing for ketone bodies is based on a nitroprusside reaction. Acetoacetic acid reacts with sodium nitroferricyanide and glycerine in an alkaline medium to produce a violet-to-purple colored complex. The reagent strip method can detect as little as 5 mg/dL acetoacetic acid in urine. It does not react with acetone unless glycine is present or B-hydroxybutyric acid. Since these two compounds are derived from acetoacetic acid, their presence can be assumed if the test for ketones is positive. Ketones are reported either as negative, small, moderate or large amounts; or negative, 1+, 2+, 3+, or 4+. In some severe cases of ketosis, it may be necessary to perform tests on serial dilutions to provide more information on the quantity of ketones present. | View Page |
| The ketone component that is measured by the nitroprusside reaction is: | View Page |
| Detection of Ketone Bodies “Ketone bodies” is a generic term which refers to acetoacetic acid (diacetic acid), acetone, and beta-hydroxybutyric acid. Screening procedures used to detect ketonuria do not react with all ketone bodies. Since all three of the ketone bodies will be present in the urine and are equally significant, it is sufficient to detect an increase in any one or two of the ketone bodies. Most procedures, including Acetest®, measures acetoacetic acid and acetone but not beta-hydroxybutyric acid. | View Page |