FLUORESCENCE SPECTRA OF NATURAL ESTROGENS AND THEIR APPLICATION TO BIOLOGICAL EXTRACTS

Abstract

IT HAS been demonstrated that microgram amounts of crystalline estrone can be determined quantitatively by fluorometric methods of assay (Bates and Cohen, 1947; Finkelstein, Hestrin and Koch, 1947; Jailer, 1947). The problem of quantitative fluorometric determination of estrogens may be broken down into two parts. 1) The conversion of the steroid into the maximum amount of the compound which is fluorescent is a chemical problem. 2) The measurement of the fluorescence under the best conditions for giving specificity is an instrumental problem. The first, or chemical problem, is discussed by Bates and Cohen (1950). The second, or instrumental problem is the subject of this paper. There are many fluorescent or potentially fluorescent materials in urine. Some, but unfortunately not all, of these compounds may be fractionated easily from the estrogens. Some of these have natural fluorescence which is not altered appreciably by heating with 90% sulfuric acid. Proper selection of filters can reduce this non-specific fluorescence.