Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Using Deuterium Oxide as a Non-Invasive, Non-Lethal Tool for Assessing Body Composition and Water Consumption in Mammals
Published on: February 20, 2020
[The alcohol method for determining total body water: comparison with heavy water (D2O)]
1Abteilung Rechtsmedizin, Christian-Albrechts-Universität, Kiel, Deutschland.
Abstract:
The determination of Total Body Water (TBW) by means of even dilution of the perorally administered indicator substance ethanol in the TBW-space is successful with a precision which is in direct comparison with other dilution-indicators, even superior that of D2O, which can be considered as a standard indicator substance for TBW. Thus, also indirectly, another proof emerges for the fact that ethanol dissolves exclusively in the body water. Applying the alcohol-method shows that even small changes of a few hundred milliliters of the body water volume, as they appear during the menstruation cycle, are detectable. Even in patients with a terminal renal failure and the risk of pathological water retention of several liters, there is no criterion which might exclude the TBW-determination by means of the dilution of slight quantities of ethanol. Finally, considering the possibility to determine the blood alcohol concentration (after a complete distribution in the TBW-space) with sufficient precision using a breath ethanol analyzer of the latest generation, the possibility emerges to carry out TBW-determination in patients and volunteers essentially noninvasive.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Ethers from Alcohols: Alcohol Dehydration and Williamson Ether Synthesis
Ethers can be prepared from organic compounds by various methods. Some of them are discussed below,
Preparation of Ethers by Alcohol Dehydration
In this method, in the presence of protic acids, alcohol dehydrates to produce alkenes and ethers under different conditions. For example, in the presence of sulphuric acid, dehydration of ethanol at 413 K yields ethoxyethane, whereas it yields ethene at 443 K.
Preparation of Alcohols via Addition Reactions
The acid-catalyzed addition of water to the double bond of alkenes is a large-scale industrial method used to synthesize low-molecular-weight alcohols. An acidic atmosphere is required to allow the hydrogen in the water molecule to act as an electrophile and attack the double bond in an alkene. The addition of a proton to the double bond creates a carbocation intermediate. The proton preferentially bonds to the less substituted end of the double bond to create a more stable carbocation...
¹H NMR of Labile Protons: Deuterium (²H) Substitution
Role of Water in Human Biology
Water's Solvent Properties
Since water is a polar molecule with slightly positive and slightly negative charges, ions and polar molecules can readily dissolve in it. Therefore, it is referred to as a solvent, a...
Volatilization
Body Water Content and Fluid Compartments

