Determination of methacrylonitrile in serum using gas chromatography and flame ionization detection

A gas chromatographic method is described for the quantitation of methacrylonitrile in serum. Methacrylonitrile was extracted from rat serum with diethyl ether and then quantified using a gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector and a 60-m megabore column coated with polyethylene glycol polymer. The recoveries obtained following a one-step extraction with diethyl ether varied from 60% at 3.2 micrograms/ml to 70% at 80 micrograms/ml. The coefficient of variation for the analysis ranged from 2.5% at 400 micrograms/ml to 15.0% at 3.2 micrograms/ml.