title: [Detecting nicotine and its metabolite cotinine in human hair with capillary gas chromatography].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a rapid method for determination of nicotine and its metabolite cotinine in human hair with capillary gas chromatography with flame ionization detector.
  
  
  METHODS
  The hair sample was digested by 1.5 mol/L sodium hydroxide solution. The nicotine and cotinine in the hair sample were extracted with a mixed solvent of dichloromethane-methanol (3:1). Aliquot of the extraction solution was vaporized with nitrogen flow and then methanol was added to dissolve the analysts. The analysts were tested with capillary gas chromatography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The detection limits (signal to noise ratio of 3:1) were 4.3 ng/mL for nicotine and 10 ng/mL for cotinine, respectively. The spiked recoveries were 90.33%-113.1% for nicotine with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 2.1%-7.0% and 92.92%-117.4% for cotinine with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 4.4%-8.9%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proposed method is sensitive, simple, easy and rapid. It can be easily extended to large scale applications in tobacco epidemiology studies.
authors.affiliation: Sanitary Technology, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Su-ying
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Yuan-qian
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Chi-qing
authors.initials: CQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiao-qi
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shao-jun
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Gong-huan
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D003367:Cotinine / Q000032:analysis*; D005410:Flame Ionization / Q000379:methods*; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D057230:Limit of Detection; D009538:Nicotine / Q000032:analysis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D009538:Nicotine; D003367:Cotinine