Clinical Chemistry Link to Randox Laboratories Web Site
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Clinical Chemistry 52: 458-467, 2006. First published January 26, 2006; 10.1373/clinchem.2005.061002
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Data Supplement
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
clinchem.2005.061002v1
52/3/458    most recent
Right arrow Submit an electronic Letter to
the Editor about this paper
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (3)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Murphy, K. E.
Right arrow Articles by Turk, G. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Murphy, K. E.
Right arrow Articles by Turk, G. C.
Related Collections
Right arrow Drug Monitoring and Toxicology
Right arrow Automation and Analytical Techniques
(Clinical Chemistry. 2006;52:458-467.)
© 2006 American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Inc.

Drug Monitoring and Toxicology

Determination of Cyanide in Blood by Isotope-Dilution Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

Karen E. Murphya, Michele M. Schantz, Therese A. Butler, Bruce A. Benner, Jr, Laura J. Wood and Gregory C. Turk

1 National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD.

aAddress correspondence to this author at: National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8391, Gaithersburg, MD 20899. Fax 301-869-0413; e-mail karen.murphy{at}nist.gov.

Background: Cyanide (CN) is a lethal toxin. Quantification in blood is necessary to indicate exposure from many sources, including food, combustion byproducts, and terrorist activity. We describe an automated procedure based on isotope-dilution gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (ID GC/MS) for the accurate and rapid determination of CN in whole blood.

Methods: A known amount of isotopically labeled potassium cyanide (K13C15N) was added to 0.5 g of whole blood in a headspace vial. Hydrogen cyanide was generated through the addition of phosphoric acid, and after a 5-min incubation, 0.5 mL of the headspace was injected into the GC/MS at an oven temperature of –15 °C. The peak areas from the sample, 1H12C14N+, at m/z 27, and the internal standard, 1H13C15N+, at m/z 29, were measured, and the CN concentration was quantified by ID. The analysis time was 15 min for a single injection.

Results: We demonstrated method accuracy by measuring the CN content of unfrozen whole blood samples fortified with a known amount of CN. Intermediate precision was demonstrated by periodic analyses over a 14-month span. Relative expanded uncertainties based on a 95% level of confidence with a coverage factor of 2 at CN concentrations of 0.06, 0.6, and 1.5 µg/g were 8.3%, 5.4%, and 5.3%, respectively. The mean deviation from the known value for all concentrations was <4%.

Conclusion: The automated ID GC/MS method can accurately and rapidly quantify nanogram per gram to microgram per gram concentrations of CN in blood.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2006 by the American Association for Clinical Chemistry.