Acid Hematin Test: Detecting Free HCl in Gastric Juice - A Comprehensive Guide

Acid hematin method

• Hematin method also called as Schumm’s test/Salzsaures haematin probe. Used to test for presence of free HCl in gastric juice.

Method

Take few ml of filtered gastric juice in a test tube

Add equal volume of ether and mix by shaking the contents

The mixture is centrifuged ether containing fatty substances

will move into upper layer as supernatant leaving clear gastric

juice.

Few drops of 1% alcoholic solution of dimethylaminoazo- benzene is added

A drop of this mixture is now placed on a microscopic slide, cover slipped and observed under high power

microscope

Appearance of **red rhombic crystals confirms the presence of free

HCl in gastric juice** if HCl is absent

No crystals are

seen.