Physicochemical Detection and Measurement of Aldosterone in Body Fluids and Tissues

Aldosterone, the highly active principle of the so-called amorphous fraction of the adrenal cortex, was first isolated in 1953 by three teams working in close collaboration, Prof. Reichstein's, Dr. Simpson's and our own (Simpson et al., 1953, 1954 b), the constitution of the new hormone being elucidated shortly afterwards (Simpson et al., 1954 a, 1954 c). It may be expressed by the formulae I and II, which show the equilibrium between a hydroxy aldehyde and a lactol prevailing in solution.