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ketone [ke´t?n]
any compound containing the carbonyl group, C=O, and having hydrocarbon groups attached to the carbonyl carbon, i.e., the carbonyl group is within a chain of carbon atoms.
ketone bodies the substances acetone, acetoacetic acid, and β-hydroxybutyric acid; except for acetone (which may arise spontaneously from acetoacetic acid), they are normal metabolic products of lipid and pyruvate within the liver, and are oxidized by muscles. Excessive production leads to urinary excretion of these bodies, as in diabetes mellitus; see also ketosis. Called also acetone bodies.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.