Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1172534 Analytica Chimica Acta 2006 6 Pages PDF
Abstract

Hydrogen cyanide gas produced during fires can cause poisoning from smoke inhalation. Blood cyanide concentrations in healthy subjects are sub-micromolar. Toxic or fatal blood concentrations are generally considered to be greater than 40 μmol dm−3 but concentrations in survivors can exceed 200 μmol dm−3, while values exceeding 400 μmol dm−3 have been recorded from fatalities.Cyanide in blood is either free in plasma or bound to ferric haemoglobin. Current analytical techniques require sample pre-treatment, generally with extraction of the cyanide from the sample. An amperometric test was developed which could determine free cyanide at physiological pH in a solution of albumin and other blood constituents without sample pre-treatment, with a calibration range exceeding 400 μmol dm−3 and a limit of detection (LOD; using three standard deviations) of 4 μmol dm−3 which is lower than would be treated clinically.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Chemistry Analytical Chemistry
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