Test for Metabolic Attack on Tris(Hydroxymethyl) Aminomethane and α -Hydroxymethylserine in the Rat. ∗

Summary

We may conclude that tris undergoes very little if any metabolic oxidation in the rat, if we agree that α-hydroxymethyl-serine must be an intermediate in that oxidation. This conclusion follows from the finding that no significant quantity of radioactive α-hydroxymethylserine appears in the urine after injection of labeled tris, whereas when the amino acid is injected it appears largely in the unchanged form in the urine, although a part is excreted into the atmosphere, presumably as C¹⁴O₂.