Determination of Polyglucose in Blood and Urine. ∗

Abstract

Polyglucose is a water-soluble polymer of glucose prepared by chemical polymerization. Preparations with molecular weights ranging from 3000 to 160000 have been obtained. Animal experiments have indicated that solutions are non-toxic, and may have value for use as a blood substitute in treatment of shock,†

Composition of polyglucose used as basis for analytical calculations. Polyglucose, like starch and glycogen, is difficult to dry to an anhydrous condition. Air-dried preparations contain 10% or more of moisture. After drying 8 days at 80° at atmospheric pressure, a preparation reached constant weight. Its carbon content then was 42.37%, corresponding to (C₆H₁₀O₅)2 H₂0 (theory, 42.1% carbon), rather than to C₆H₁₀O₅ (44.44% carbon). It is uncertain whether the half molecule of water per C₆H₁₀O₅ unit in the dried preparation was moisture that could not be driven off under the conditions used, or whether it was a part of the molecular structure. In starch and glycogen Dumazert (3) has found the same composition (C = 42.2 to 42.4%) when these carbohydrates were dried at 80° under less than 1 mm pressure His dried starch and glycogen showed zero water content by the chemical method of K. Fischer; consequently, it appeared that the H₂O of the residual (C₆H₁₀O₅) H₂O was part of the composition of these polysaccharides, which Dumazert accordingly expressed as (C₁₂H_22-O₁₁)n. The question is raised, whether it is preferable to base calculations of polyglucose on the anhydrous formula, C₆H₁₀O₅ or on (C₆H₁₀O₅₅)₂ H₂O. Because of uncertainty regarding the nature of the half molecule of water per C₆H₁₀O₅ unit in the apparently dried polyglucose, and because of the established use in analytical chemistry of the anhydrous formula in calculations of starch analyses, we have adhered to the conventional anhydrous formula C₆H₁₀O₅ in the present analyses.