| abstract |
Reagent compositions for use in CO2 analysis which comprise certain acids and/or buffered acids together with selected additives. The acids and buffered acids have pH less than 4 and a vapor pressure not in excess of 10mm mercury. Examples of these acids include lactic acid, citric acid, phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid, perchloric acid, malic acid, malonic acid, oxalic acid, naphthalenesulfonic acid, picric acid, sulfamic acid, and nitric acid. The additives, which can be used separately or with one another, are ethers of fatty alcohols and polyoxyethylene (having the structure R-O-(C2H4-O)nH), glycerin, polyvinyl alcohol, and pH sensitive indicator dyes, including methyl red, p-nitrophenol, neutral red, phenolphthalein, and o-cresolphthalein. An improved method for analysis of CO2 in body fluids comprises the steps of adding these reagents to body fluid samples to release CO2 therefrom into a gas space, displacing the released CO2 to a detector, and measuring the amount of released CO2 in the detector. Generally, acid reagents including at least one of the ethers of fatty alcohols and polyoxyethylene are preferable for releasing CO2 from a body fluid sample. |