Selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry of 3-hydroxybutyric acid, acetone and other ketones in the headspace of aqueous solution and urine

A study has been carried out of the reactions of three isomers of hydroxybutyric acid, giving special attention to 3-hydroxybutyric acid, 3-HBA, with H3O+ and NO+ ions to acquire the required kinetic data for a selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry, SIFT-MS, search for 3-HBA in the headspace of urine since it is known to be one of the “ketone bodies” important in the diagnosis of ketoacidosis. Thus, the product ions formed in the reactions of the H3O+ and NO+ precursor ions with the three hydroxy acids were established by sampling the headspace above the pure compounds over a range of absolute humidities from 1.5% (ambient air) to 6% (liquid headspace at 37 C and exhaled breath). Then these data, together with the rate coefficients for the reactions estimated by calculation, were used to detect and quantify 3-HBA in the headspace of an aqueous solution of this compound of known concentration and above urine donated by two volunteers. The level of 3-HBA above the urine samples after they were acidified with hydrochloric acid was seen to be typically 40 parts-per-billion, ppb, which is much lower than that for acetone seen to be typically 800 ppb. Exploiting the aqueous solution data as a reference, the 3-HBA concentration in the urine samples was estimated to be about 1-2 mmol/L, which is typical of the urine from healthy individuals.