Indirect analysis of corticosteroids. 4. A note on the role of chloride and urea in the bismuthate treatment of urines

Abstract

The oxidation of 17-hydroxyandrostanes to 17-ketones in the system NaBiO3-NaCl-CH3.CO2H-H2O (Smith and Tompsett, 1955) was confirmed. It was shown that urea effectively inhibits this reaction. Treatment of the human urine with sodium bismuthate in the presence of acetic acid, followed by the reductive removal of surplus reagent and then by treatment with hot HC1, in no case resulted in the oxidation of 17-hydroxyandrostanes to 17-ketones or in the destruction of 17-ketones. The failure of urinary chloride to induce these reactions was attributed to the inhibitory effect of native urea.