The recovery and identification of fluoroacetamide and fluoroacetic acid from tissues

A rapid method is described for the extraction and identification of fluoroacetamide and fluoroacetic acid from tissues, by gas chromatography, using a mass spectrometer in the multiple ion monitoring mode as the detector. Recoveries from animal and human tissue macerates, after the addition of each compound, were approximately 30--35% for fluoroacetamide and 50--55% for fluoroacetic acid. Minimum detectable levels in tissues were found to be circa 0.7 mug/g for the amide and 0.1 mug/g for the acid. Visceral tissue levels were found to be approximately 3 mug/g for fluoroacetamide, and 2.5--10 mug/g fluoroacetic acid in guinea pigs and rabbits which had been fatally poisoned with these compounds.