Clinical chemistry (also known as clinical biochemistry, chemical pathology or pure blood chemistry) is the area of pathology that is generally concerned with analysis of bodily fluids. Pathology (from Greek pathos, feeling, pain, suffering; and logos, study of; see also -ology) is the study of the processes underlying disease and other forms of illness, harmful abnormality, or dysfunction. ... This is a list of Bodily fluids. ...

The discipline originated in the late 19th century with the use of simple chemical tests for various components of blood and urine. Subsequently other techniques were applied including the use and measurement of enzyme activities, spectrophotometry, electrophoresis and immunoassay. Ribbon diagram of the enzyme TIM, surrounded by the space-filling model of the protein. ... In physics, spectrophotometry is the quantitative study of electromagnetic spectra. ... It has been suggested that Electrophoretic mobility be merged into this article or section. ... An immunoassay is a biochemical test that measures the level of a substance in a biological liquid, typically serum or urine, using the reaction of an antibody or antibodies to its antigen. ...

Most current laboratories are now highly automated and use assays that are closely monitored and quality controlled.

Tests that require examination and measurement of the cells of blood, as well as blood clotting studies, are not included as in the UK these are usually grouped under hematology, but in many countries these specialties along with immunology and microbiology are grouped under laboratory medicine. Hematology is the branch of medicine that is concerned with blood and its disorders. ...

All biochemical tests come under chemical pathology. These are performed on any kind of body fluid, but mostly on serum or plasma. Serum is the yellow watery part of blood that is left after blood has been allowed to clot and all blood cells have been removed. This is most easily done by centrifugation which packs the more dense blood cells and platelets to the bottom of the centrifuge tube, leaving the liquid serum fraction resting above the packed cells. Plasma is essentially the same as serum, but is obtained by centrifuging the blood without clotting. Plasma therefore contains all of the clotting factors, including fibrinogen. Bodily fluids are fluids, which are generally excreted or secreted from the human body. ... Blood plasma is the liquid component of blood, in which the blood cells are suspended. ... Fibrin is a protein involved in the clotting of blood. ...

A large laboratory will accept samples for up to about 700 different kinds of tests. Even the largest of laboratories rarely does all these tests themselves and some need to be referred to other labs. A medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are done on biological specimens in order to get information about the health of a patient. ...

This large array of tests can be further sub-categorised into sub-specialities of:

• General or routine chemistry
• Endocrinology - the study of hormones
• Immunology - the study of the immune system and antibodies
• Pharmacology or Toxicology - the study of drugs

Endocrinology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the endocrine system and its specific secretions called hormones. ... Hormone is also the NATO reporting name for the Soviet/Russian Kamov Ka-25 military helicopter. ... Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. ... A scanning electron microscope image of a single neutrophil (yellow), engulfing anthrax bacteria (orange). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmakos (φάρμακον) meaning drug, and logos (λόγος) meaning science) is the study of how substances interact with living organisms to produce a change in function. ... Toxicology (from the Greek words toxicos and logos [1]) is the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms [2]. It is the study of symptoms, mechanisms, treatments and detection of poisoning, especially the poisoning of people. ... Many drugs are provided in tablet form. ...

Chemical pathology tests

Common chemical pathology tests include:

• Sodium;
• Potassium;
• Chloride;
• Bicarbonate;
• Urea;
• Creatinine;
• Calcium;
• Phosphate;
• Albumin;
• Bilirubin;
• AST;
• ALT;
• GGT;
• Alkaline phosphatase;
• Magnesium;
• Osmolality;
• Urate;
• Iron;
• Transferrin;
• Total protein;
• Globulins;
• Glucose;
• C-reactive protein;
• HbA1c.
• Blood gases ( )

General Name, Symbol, Number sodium, Na, 11 Chemical series alkali metals Group, Period, Block 1, 3, s Appearance silvery white Standard atomic weight 22. ... General Name, Symbol, Number potassium, K, 19 Chemical series alkali metals Group, Period, Block 1, 4, s Appearance silvery white Standard atomic weight 39. ... The chloride ion is formed when the element chlorine picks up one electron to form an anion (negatively-charged ion) Cl−. The salts of hydrochloric acid HCl contain chloride ions and can also be called chlorides. ... In inorganic chemistry, a bicarbonate (IUPAC-recommended nomenclature: hydrogencarbonate) is an intermediate form in the deprotonation of carbonic acid. ... Urea is an organic compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen, with the formula CON2H4 or (NH2)2CO. Urea is also known as carbamide, especially in the recommended International Nonproprietary Names (rINN) in use in Europe. ... Chemical structure of creatinine. ... General Name, Symbol, Number calcium, Ca, 20 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 4, s Appearance silvery white Standard atomic weight 40. ... Above is a ball-and-stick model of the inorganic hydrogenphosphate anion (HPO42−). Colour coding: P (orange); O (red); H (white). ... You may be looking for albumen, or egg white. ... Bilirubin is a yellow breakdown product of normal heme catabolism. ... Aspartate transaminase (AST) also called Serum Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase (SGOT) or aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) (EC 2. ... Alanine transaminase or ALT is an enzyme (EC 2. ... Gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) (EC 2. ... Ball and stick model of alkaline phosphatase Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (EC 3. ... General Name, Symbol, Number magnesium, Mg, 12 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 3, s Appearance silvery white solid at room temp Standard atomic weight 24. ... When substances are dissolved, the number of distinct particles in solution is measured as Osmolality. ... Uric Acid Uric acid is an organic compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen, with the formula C5H4N4O3 It is a minor end-product of nitrogen metabolism in the human body (the main product being urea), and is found in small amounts in urine. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Standard atomic weight 55. ... Transferrin is a plasma protein for iron ion delivery. ... A globular protein is a protein that is globe-like, or rounded in shape, often soluble in aqueous solution. ... Glucose (Glc), a monosaccharide (or simple sugar), is the most important carbohydrate in biology. ... C-reactive protein (CRP) is a plasma protein, an acute phase protein produced by the liver. ... HbA1c is shorthand for glycated hemoglobin A1c, a surrogate marker for blood glucose levels. ... Arterial blood gas measurement is a test that can be done to determine the amount of oxygen, carbon dioxide and bicarbonate in the blood, as well as the pH of the blood. ...

See also

• Reference ranges for common blood tests