Sodium hypochlorite as a tissue solubilizing agent compatible with liquid scintillation counting

The use of hypochlorite to prepare biological samples, containing incorporated radiolabeled molecules, for liquid scintillation counting was investigated. Hypochlorite both solubilized and decolorized a variety of animal tissues, but fat aggregates, cartilagenous tissue, and plant material resisted digestion. Although hypochlorite induced chemiluminescence, addition of acidified stannous chloride to the counting cocktail alleviated the spurious counts. The reported procedure, modified to suit particular experiments, may be applicable in a variety of situations where quantitation of biologically incorporated radiolabeled molecules is desired.