Turbidimetry of inorganic sulfate, ester sulfate, and total sulfur in urine

Abstract

We describe simple and precise methods for the determination of inorganic sulfate, ester sulfate, and total sulfur in urine. The methods are based on turbidimetry of sulfate as barium sulfate in the presence of a small amount of preformed barium sulfate and with polyethylene glycol as a stabilizing agent. Inorganic sulfate is directly determined, whereas ester sulfate is measured after removal of inorganic sulfate, followed by acid hydrolysis. Total sulfur is determined after wet oxidation of the sample with nitric acid and perchloric acid in the presence of vanadate as a catalyst. We also report excretion values for healthy persons on a self-selected diet. Men excrete significantly higher amounts of inorganic sulfate and total sulfur than women, but this sex-related difference becomes insignificant if excretion values are expressed relative to creatinine.