A non-element-enriched, non-lyophilized candidate rat serum reference material prepared for once use in determination of inorganic elements by ICP-MS

A practice about preparing a once-used native state candidate rat serum reference material has been described for inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-MS) determination of inorganic elements in biological matrices, which is independently packed, easy to use, non-lyophilized, without element-spiking, and with stable quality. Various dispersing and storing factors influencing the serum quality have been investigated including container material, sampling volume, packing mode and storage time. The contents of twelve main elements in the rat serum have been not only evaluated by ICP-MS but also verified by other analytical techniques. The probation of this unconventional candidate serum reference material by different laboratories has given very similar contents of 12 main trace elements in the serum, and proven its applicability to support quality assurance of biological sample analyses.