Fluorometric determination of magnesium in serum with 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde salicyloylhydrazone

This simple, rapid, sensitive fluorometric method for determining magnesium is based on formation of a fluorescent complex of magnesium with 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde salicyloyl-hydrazone in alkaline ethanolic medium (lambda ex = 420 nm, lambda em = 460 nm). The detection limit of the method is 0.05 microgram/L (2 nmol/L) and the relative standard deviations (CVs) are 0.8%, 1.1%, and 2.5% at magnesium concentrations of 50, 5.0, and 0.50 microgram/L, respectively. The standard curve is linear from 0 to 250 micrograms/L (0-10 mumol/L). We investigated the chemistry of the reaction, and have applied the method to determine magnesium in 100-fold-diluted, otherwise untreated serum samples. Within-run CVs for the method were 1.7%, 1.1%, and 1.3% at mean magnesium concentrations of 15.7, 26.4, and 36.2 mg/L, respectively. Day-to-day CVs were 2.7%, and 3.6% at mean magnesium concentrations of 10.1 and 25.5 mg/L, respectively. Samples from 96 hospitalized patients in intensive-care units were analyzed by the proposed method (y) and by an automated colorimetric method involving Magon sulfonate reagent (x). Linear regression analysis of the results yielded: y = 1.01x - 0.04 (r = 0.982, Sxy = 0.90).