Skip to content

Beta Elimination Rate (Beta)

Definition

The rate at which BAC falls during the post-absorptive phase of alcohol metabolism, expressed as mg/100 mL/hour. Population mean approximately 15 mg/100 mL/h, range 10-25 mg/100 mL/h.

Related terms

2100:1 Partition Ratio
The conventional blood/breath partition assumption used by breath alcohol analysers worldwide: 2100 mL of venous blood contains the same mass of ethanol...
Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)
Mass of ethanol per unit volume of whole blood, expressed as mg per 100 mL (equivalent to mg/dL or mg%), or as...
DB-ALC1 / DB-ALC2
A matched pair of Agilent fused-silica GC columns used for dual-column orthogonal confirmation of blood ethanol. DB-ALC1 uses a polyethylene glycol stationary...
Internal Standard (IS)
A compound chemically near-identical to the analyte, often a deuterated isotopologue (d3-morphine, d5-EDDP, d5-alprazolam, pyrene-d10), spiked into every sample at a known...
NIST SRM 1828
A series of NIST-certified reference material aqueous ethanol standards (0.02 to 0.40 per cent w/v) used to calibrate forensic blood ethanol analytical...
Partition Coefficient (K)
The ratio of analyte concentration in the liquid phase to concentration in the gas phase at equilibrium. For ethanol in blood at...
Sodium Fluoride / Potassium Oxalate (Grey-Top Tube)
The standard blood collection tube for forensic ethanol analysis. Sodium fluoride inhibits microbial fermentation (which would produce artefactual ethanol post-collection); potassium oxalate...
Static Headspace
A sample preparation technique in which a sealed vial is heated until volatile analytes reach thermodynamic equilibrium between the liquid matrix and...
Widmark Factor (Rho / R)
A dimensionless pharmacokinetic constant that represents the distribution of ethanol across body water. Averages approximately 0.68 for adult males and 0.55 for...

Explained in

Your journey to becoming a forensic professional starts here.

Practice with mock tests, learn from structured notes, and get your questions answered by a global forensic community, all in one place.