B. Physical Characteristics of Urine (pp. 978–979)
1. Freshly voided urine is clear and pale to deep yellow due to urochrome, a pigment
resulting from the destruction of hemoglobin.
C. Chemical Composition of Urine (p. 979; Table 25.2)
1. Urine volume is about 95% water and 5% solutes, the largest solute fraction devoted
to the nitrogenous wastes urea, creatinine, and uric acid.
IV. Urine Transport, Storage, and Elimination (pp. 979–982; Figs. 25.18–25.21)
A. Ureters are tubes that actively convey urine from the kidneys to the bladder
(pp. 979–980; Figs. 25.18–25.19).
B. The urinary bladder is a muscular sac that expands as urine is produced by the kidneys to
allow storage of urine until voiding is convenient (pp. 980–981; Fig. 25.20).
1. The bladder is a retroperitoneal organ on the pelvic floor, just posterior to the pubic
symphysis, and has openings in the interior for the ureters and urethra, which form a
triangular region called the trigone.
expands, the wall stretches and thins, and the folds, rugae, disappear.
C. The urethra is a muscular tube that drains urine from the body; it is 3–4 cm long in
females, but closer to 20 cm in males (pp. 981–982; Fig. 25.20).
1. There are two sphincter muscles associated with the urethra: the internal urethral
sphincter, which is involuntary and formed from detrusor smooth muscle; and the
external urethral sphincter, which is voluntary and formed by the skeletal muscle at
the urogenital diaphragm.
2. The external urethral orifice lies between the clitoris and vaginal opening in females,
and it is located at the tip of the penis in males.