Study of the Norymberski methods for determination of 17-ketogenic steroids (17-hydroxycorticosteroids) in urine

Modified methods for the determination of 17-ketogenic steroids by direct and indirect procedures are presented. Several factors in the Zimmermann reaction were studied experimentally; namely, time and temperature of color development, composition of reagents, specificity and method for correcting for background absorbance. The stoichiometry of the bismuthate oxidation reaction was studied and shown to effect satisfactory recoveries. Conditions for quantitative reduction of 17-ketosteroids by borohydride are presented. The precision of the methods for 17-ketosteroids and 17-ketogenic steroids was determined. From a study of a limited number of urine samples, both the 17-ketosteroids and the 17-ketogenic steroids appear to be relatively stable at room temperature without added preservative.