Table 2.

Quantitative comparison of nine ketones in headspace volatiles of urine and faeces excreta from single male and female deer mice.

	mean (± s.e.) and [top] amounts (ng)a of ketones in headspace volatile extract
compounds	males	females	male–female differential	p-valueb
3-methyl-2-pentanone	57.58 (7.155) [63]	10.33 (5.42)	5.6	0.002
2-hexanone	21.38 (10.73) [20]	7.36 (4.53)	2.9	0.26
5-methyl-2-hexanone	9.50 (9.167) [46]	0.00 (0)	N/A	0.35
4-heptanone	21.68 (11.74) [63]	7.47 (5.03)	2.9	0.30
2-heptanone	550.36 (251.82) [1536]	111.13 (55.05)	5.0	0.13
6-methyl-2-heptanone	17.38 (12.62) [67]	4.44 (3.70)	3.9	0.36
3-octanone	1235.18 (775.71) [4294]	234.92 (163.35)	5.35	0.24
2-octanone	153.52 (102.71) [553]	59.47 (53.86)	2.6	0.44
2-nonanone	404.87 (247.66) [1371]	80.46 (59.69)	5.0	0.24
total ketones	1976.45 [8013]	515.58	3.8

^a Ketones were present in headspace volatiles of bedding (450 g) soiled with faeces and urine from three laboratory-kept male deer mice or five female deer mice during 2 weeks. Headspace volatiles of such soiled bedding were collected over 24 h and quantified in total ion chromatogram analyses (figure 3). The amount of each ketone was derived by comparing its area count with that of an internal standard (dodecyl acetate). These amounts were then divided by the number of mice in the sample (5 females or 3 males) to obtain the ketone amounts produced by a single mouse. There were 5 samples each of males and females.

^b The quantities of each ketone in 5 samples of males and in 5 samples of females were compared by unpaired 2-tailed t-tests.