Methodological considerations of the acetaminophen Detection Kit®: Involvement of molecular oxygen (O2) in an indophenol reaction

• Published in: Legal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) Vol. 64; p. 102278
• Main Authors: Shinkawa, Norihiro, Marukawa, Masaki, Wada, Kei, Yukawa, Nobuhiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 01-09-2023
• Subjects: 2,6-Xylenol (2,6-Dimethylphenol); Acetaminophen; Acute liver failure; Aminophenols; Humans; Indophenol; N-Acetyl-p-aminophenol (APAP); Oxygen; p-Benzoquinone imine; Paracetamol; Poisoning; N-Acetyl-p-aminophenol (APAP); Acute liver failure; Paracetamol; Poisoning; 2,6-Xylenol (2,6-Dimethylphenol); p-Benzoquinone imine
• ISSN: 1344-6223; 1873-4162
• DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2023.102278

•The Acetaminophen Detection Kit® allows prompt diagnosis of acetaminophen poisoning.•The kit utilizes a colorimetric test based on an indophenol reaction.•The principle of the reaction was not explained, rendering the kit a black box.•We showed the reaction to be a redox utilizing O2 from the air as an oxidant.•Based on better characterization, the kit can now be used for forensic purposes.
The Acetaminophen Detection Kit® (Kanto Chemical Company Co. Inc., Tokyo, Japan) is a colorimetric test based on an indophenol reaction. The test involves three reactions: deproteination of the sample, hydrolysis of acetaminophen to yield p-aminophenol, and coupling p-aminophenol with a derivative of phenol in alkali conditions to form a blue-colored indophenol dye. The kit was devised to accomplish these three reactions with only two reagents, allowing the prompt diagnosis of acetaminophen overdose in emergency medicine.
In the user instructions included with the kit and in reports introducing the kit, the chemical composition of the two reagents was not disclosed. Details about the composition can be found in the Safety Data Sheet from the manufacturer; however, there is little explanation about the principle (mechanism) of the coupling reaction. This lack of information appears to have hampered the use of this kit in forensic medicine. In this report, we conducted the coupling reaction by successively adding the two reagents to a p-aminophenol (intermediate molecule) solution with the reaction vessel open to the air and under an anaerobic condition. Development of the blue color was inhibited in the absence of air but gradually developed when the reaction vessel was opened to air. Thus, the coupling reaction is an oxidation–reduction (redox) reaction that requires molecular oxygen (O2) dissolved from the air to act as an oxidant. This finding corroborates statements in previous reports and will hopefully facilitate the use of the kit for forensic purposes.