title: Cyanide assay: statistical comparison of a new gas chromatographic calibration method versus the classical spectrophotometric method.
abstract: This work compares two different methods for assaying hydrogen cyanide, a spectrophotometric method and a headspace gas chromatographic method, each with its own reference standard generation. In the first method, the reference standards are cyanide solutions. In the second method, the reference standards are based upon the in situ reduction of ethyl thiocyanate by dithiothreitol to produce hydrogen cyanide. Furthermore, hydrogen cyanide concentration in the blood of patients who were poisoned by smoke inhalation or who committed suicide by cyanide ingestion is determined using both methods. Results are discussed using statistical comparison.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Central d'Analyses, Pharmacie Centrale des Hôpitaux de Paris, France.
authors.forename: Z L
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Cardeal
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Gallet
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Astier
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pradeau
mesh_terms: D002138:Calibration; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods*; D003486:Cyanides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D004229:Dithiothreitol / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D006856:Hydrogen Cyanide / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry / Q000506:poisoning; D012015:Reference Standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet / Q000379:methods*; D013861:Thiocyanates / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D003486:Cyanides; D013861:Thiocyanates; D006856:Hydrogen Cyanide; C031760:thiocyanate; D004229:Dithiothreitol