Determination of ketone bodies in postmortem blood by head-space gas chromatography

Abstract A method describing determination of the physiological ketone bodies: acetone, acetoacetate, and d -β-hydroxybutyrate in postmortem blood by head-space gas chromatography. The method involves enzymic dehydrogenation of d -β-hydroxybutyrate into acetoacetate and quantitative conversion of acetoacetate into acetone. The recoveries of acetone, acetoacetate and d -β-hydroxybutyrate were 94–100%, 88–104% and 83–91%, respectively.