Determination of boron in tissues and cells using direct-current plasma atomic emission spectroscopy

We have developed a safe, simple, and efficient method for boron determination by means of direct-current plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Tissues were solubilized by using concentrated sulfuric acid and 70% hydrogen peroxide to digest the samples without the need of high temperatures and pressures. Boron cluster compounds could be measured with sensitivity, precision, and accuracy similar to those of boric acid standards. Results obtained with [(C2H5)3NH]2B12H12, Cs2B12H11SH.H2O, and C15H32B10O6 show that this analytical method is applicable to a variety of compounds with different chemical structures. A sensitivity of 0.1 ppm has been obtained with known standards alone and in a variety of tissue matrices including tumor, blood, liver, skin, and cell suspensions. The measurement of total boron by direct-current plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (DCP-AES) has been achieved with as little as 50 mg of tissue or as few as 5 x 10(7) cells. The procedure is applicable to the analysis of boron in the ppm range with a high degree of precision and accuracy.