Simultaneous determination of hydrogen cyanide and volatile aliphatic nitriles by headspace gas chromatography, and its application to an in vivo study of the metabolism of acrylonitrile in the rat.
A method for the simultaneous determination of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and aliphatic nitriles using manual headspace (HS) gas chromatography (GC) with a capillary porous polymer column GS-Q and a nitrogen-phosphorus detector is described. With a HS incubation at 50 degrees C for 30 min and a GC temperature at 180 degrees C, HCN and volatile nitriles [acetonitrile, acrylonitrile (VCN), propionitrile, isobutyronitrile] were well separated and could be detected within 7 min with a detection limit of 0.7-2.4 ng/ml in blood samples. The HS-GC method was used in an in vivo study of VCN metabolism. VCN was administered orally (at nearly one-half its LD(50)) to rats, and heart blood and urine were sampled. Blood concentrations of HCN and VCN were measured by HS-GC, and plasma and urinary thiocyanate concentrations were measured by the König colorimetric method. Blood levels of HCN and VCN peaked 1.5 h after VCN administration, at which time the cyanide level (about 0.7 microg/ml) is close to the fatal level. HCN levels were observed to be at almost background levels at 10 h, although 50 ng/ml VCN was still detectable. The plasma thiocyanate level increased, reaching a peak (about 30 microg/ml) at 5 h. The cumulative urinary thiocyanate amount gradually increased, and at 10 h more than 1 mg thiocyanate was excreted into the urine. It is therefore possible to clarify the cause of cyanide poisoning using HS-GC analysis, when someone has taken volatile nitriles.
Department of Analytical Chemistry, Hoshi University, 2-4-41 Ebara, Shinagawa-ku, 142-8501 Tokyo, Japan.
Miyako
M
Shibata
Kouichi
K
Inoue
Yoshihiro
Y
Yoshimura
Hiroyuki
H
Nakazawa
Yasuo
Y
Seto
D000097:Acetonitriles / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D000181:Acrylonitrile / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D003124:Colorimetry; D006856:Hydrogen Cyanide / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009570:Nitriles / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013861:Thiocyanates / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D013997:Time Factors
D000097:Acetonitriles; D009570:Nitriles; D013861:Thiocyanates; D006856:Hydrogen Cyanide; C022246:isobutyronitrile; C005557:propionitrile; D000181:Acrylonitrile; C031760:thiocyanate; C032159:acetonitrile