Determination of ethylene glycol in serum utilizing direct injection on a wide-bore capillary column

A simple, rapid, and reliable procedure for the determination of ethylene glycol (EG) and other diol compounds utilizing direct injection of diluted serum on a unique wide-bore capillary column containing a highly polar stationary phase (Nukol column) is presented. The method uses 1,4-butanediol as the internal standard (IS) and resolves propylene glycol, EG, 1,3-butanediol, and diethylene glycol. The within-run precision of the method yielded at 27.5 mg/L EG, CV = 9.4% (n = 10) and at 222 mg/L EG, CV = 7.3% (n = 10). Absolute recovery of EG at 222 mg/L was 95.9 +/- 7.1% (n = 10). At the limit of quantitation, 27.5 mg/L EG, the absolute recovery was 115 +/- 13.1% (n = 10). The method was free of interference from common volatile intoxicants, organic acid metabolites, and polar drugs. However, valproic acid was not completely resolved from the IS. The Nukol column has demonstrated an extended column lifetime and versatility for analysis of other polar compounds.