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

Area of Science:

• Toxicology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Forensic Science

Background:

• Cyanide is a potent, rapidly acting toxic agent.
• Accurate qualitative and quantitative analysis of cyanide in biological samples is crucial for timely medical intervention and legal investigations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel method for the analysis of cyanide in human whole blood.
• To establish a sensitive, specific, and efficient assay for cyanide detection.

Main Methods:

• Conversion of cyanide to hydrogen cyanide followed by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME).
• Detection using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode.
• Optimization of GC/MS parameters and SPME conditions, including fiber selection and internal standard use (D3-acetonitrile).

Main Results:

• The method demonstrated linearity over three orders of magnitude in both water and blood matrices.
• The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) in water were 0.006 and 0.01 microg/mL, respectively.
• High precision was achieved with intra- and inter-assay variability consistently below 8%.

Conclusions:

• The developed method is simple, fast, and sufficiently sensitive for the rapid diagnosis of cyanide intoxication.
• This assay is suitable for application in clinical and forensic toxicology settings.
• The method provides reliable qualitative and quantitative analysis of cyanide in human whole blood.