A gas chromatographic method for determination of acetate levels in body fluids

A simple, sensitive and accurate gas chromatographic method for the determination of acetate in plasma and urine is described. Following precipitation of proteins by perchloric acid and removal of potassium perchlorate by precipitation with KOH, acetic acid is quantitated by injection of the acidified sample on a highly polar column. A flame ionization detector is used. Propionic acid is added to the sample initially as internal standard. The sample volume required for the analysis is 0.5 ml. The standard curve is linear in the range from 0.01 to 10 mmol/l. Recovery of added acetate is complete, and the coefficient of variation is less than 4% even at low concentrations. The concentration of free acetate in plasma from 10, and urine from 4, healthy humans ranged from 0.04 to 0.07 and 0.09 to 0.24 mmol/l, respectively.