Toxicology Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Toxicology, including details on forensic toxicology, carcinogenicity, assays.

An improved method for cyanide determination in blood using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Frison G, Zancanaro F, Favretto D, Ferrara SD

Forensic Toxicology and Antidoping, University Hospital of Padova, Via Falloppio 50, I-35121 Padova, Italy.

A new method is described for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of cyanide, a very short-acting and powerful toxic agent, in human whole blood. It involves the conversion of cyanide into hydrogen cyanide and its subsequent headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and detection by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. Optimizing the conditions for the GC/MS (type of column, injection conditions, temperature program) and SPME (choice of SPME fiber, effect of salts, adsorption and desorption times, adsorption temperature) led to the choice of a 75-microm carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane SPME fiber, with D3-acetonitrile as internal standard, and a capillary GC column with a polar stationary phase. Method validation was carried out in terms of linearity, precision and accuracy in both aqueous solutions and blood. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were determined only in aqueous solutions. The assay is linear over three orders of magnitude (water 0.01-10, blood 0.05-10 microg/mL); and the LOD and LOQ in water were 0.006 and 0.01 microg/mL, respectively. Good intra- and inter-assay precision was obtained, always <8%. The method is simple, fast and sensitive enough for the rapid diagnosis of cyanide intoxication in clinical and forensic toxicology.

Published 19 September 2006 in Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom, 20(19): 2932-8.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Toxicology Research Today. All Rights Reserved.