Abstract
The addition of a few drops of saturated aqueous mercuric fulminate or of 2% sodium fulminate solution to about 5 cc of millimolar methemoglobin prepared by the action of ferricyanide on laked human erythrocytes, causes the formation of a scarlet pigment which shows a spectroscopic picture similar to that of cyanmethemoglobin. It differs from cyanmethemoglobin, however, in that the addition of alkali causes a change in the spectroscopic band to those of alkaline methemoglobin, in the case of the fulminate derivative, whereas when cyanmethemoglobin is treated with alkali its band persists. The color intensity of the fulminate derivative appears to be about half that of an equimolecular solution of cyanmethemoglobin.
Saturated silver fulminate precipitates methemoglobin from solution, the precipitate being red in color. Where the methemoglobin solution has been prepared by the action of quinhydrone on hemoglobin, mercuric fulminate likewise causes a similar precipitate. This would indicate a difference between the methemoglobins prepared by the action of ferricyanide and that resulting from the action of quinhydrone on hemoglobin. A difference in the behavior of these 2 substances toward hydrogen peroxide has been previously noted. 1
The fulminates are without effect on the spectroscopic appearance of oxyhemoglobin, carton monoxide hemoglobin, reduced hemoglobin and of alkaline hematin, whether the last be in alkali carbonate, ammonium hydroxide, triethanolamine or pyridine solution. In the case of the hematin solutions, the fulminates differ from the cyanides in that the latter give rise to cyanhematin.
Solutions of sodium fulminate and of mercuric fulminate which had been oxidized by molecular iodine lost their power of altering the spectroscopic appearance of methemoglobin. Since the fulminate ion and methemoglobin are both essential to the formation of this compound which differs in its reactions from any hitherto described, it is referred to as fulminate methemoglobin.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.