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Published on: September 7, 2015
[Decomposition kinetics of methamidophos in preserved blood of rabbit]
1Institute of Forensic Sciences, Ministry of Justice, P.R. China, Shanghai 200063.
Abstract:
Decomposition kinetics of methmidophos in preserved rabbit blood poisoned by methamidophos was studied. The blood was preserved in a room (temperature 12-15 degrees C) and in a refrigerator (temperature 2-5 degrees C). The concentration of methamidophos in preserved blood was determined by GC/FPD. The results showed that the decomposition of methamidophos in preserved blood of rabbits was fast for the first three days and got slow with the time prolonged. The decomposition speed of methamidophos in room was higher than in refrigerator.
Insights
Methamidophos decomposes rapidly in preserved rabbit blood within the first three days, with faster degradation occurring at room temperature compared to refrigeration. This impacts forensic toxicology and pesticide residue analysis.
Area of Science:
- Forensic toxicology
- Environmental chemistry
- Pesticide analysis
Context:
- Methamidophos poisoning cases require accurate postmortem analysis.
- Understanding pesticide degradation in biological samples is crucial for toxicological investigations.
- Preservation methods significantly influence analyte stability.
Purpose:
- To investigate the decomposition kinetics of methamidophos in preserved rabbit blood.
- To evaluate the effect of storage temperature (room vs. refrigerator) on methamidophos stability.
- To establish reliable methods for methamidophos quantification in biological matrices.
Summary:
- Methamidophos decomposition in rabbit blood was studied under room (12-15°C) and refrigerated (2-5°C) conditions.
- Gas Chromatography with a Flame Photometric Detector (GC/FPD) was used to determine methamidophos concentrations.
- Degradation was rapid initially, slowing over time, with higher decomposition rates observed at room temperature.
Impact:
- Provides critical data for interpreting methamidophos levels in forensic cases.
- Informs best practices for sample preservation in pesticide toxicology.
- Contributes to the understanding of organophosphate pesticide stability in biological samples.

