Determination of chloride procedure based upon diffusion of hydrogen chloride

We describe a simple, inexpensive sample preparation method that involves the isolation of chloride as hydrogen chloride from serum and urine prior to chloride analysis with the chloride ion-selective electrode. Chloride analyses of clinical chemistry standards with the present method were found to be in good agreement with analyses reported by the manufacturer. Reliability of the method is also evident by complete recovery of chloride added to serum and urine, minimal day-to-day variation of analyses, and a coefficient of variation that generally is less than 2%. An evaluation of factors influencing the procedure is also reported. The usefulness of the chloride ion-selective electrode to determine chloride in serum or urine is greatly enhanced by the sample preparation method described since matrix interference by other sample components is removed prior to analysis.