- Berthelot's reagent
Berthelot's reagent is an alkaline solution of
phenol andhypochlorite , used inanalytical chemistry . It is named after its inventor,Marcellin Berthelot .Ammonia reacts with Berthelot's reagent to form a blue product which is used in a
colorimetric method for determiningammonia .The reagent can also be used for determining
urea . In this case theenzyme urease is used to catalyze thehydrolysis of urea intocarbon dioxide and ammonia. The ammonia is then determined with Berthelot's reagent.There is a modified Berthelot reagent in which the phenol is replaced by
sodium salicylate . This has been used forblood urea nitrogen (BUN) determinations.Berthelot's reagent is not very specific (it detects
amine s as well as ammonia) so it may be preferable to use anion selective electrode .ources
* Dorland's Medical Dictionary [http://www.mercksource.com/pp/us/cns/cns_hl_dorlands.jspzQzpgzEzzSzppdocszSzuszSzcommonzSzdorlandszSzdorlandzSzdmd_r_04zPzhtm#12695659]
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