Simple determination of fluoride in biological samples by headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A simple and convenient method to detect fluoride in biological samples was developed. This method was based on derivatization with 2-(bromomethyl)naphthalene, headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) in a vial, and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric detection. The HS-SPME parameters were optimized as follows: selection of CAR/PDMS fiber, 0.5% 2-(bromomethyl)naphthalene, 250 mg/L 15-crown-5-ether as a phase transfer catalyst, extraction and derivatization temperature of 95 °C, heating time of 20 min and pH of 7.0. Under the established conditions, the lowest limits of detection were 9 and 11 μg/L in 1.0 ml of plasma and urine, respectively, and the intra- and inter-day relative standard deviation was less than 7.7% at concentrations of 0.1 and 1.0 mg/L. The calibration curve showed good linearity of plasma and urine with r = 0.9990 and r = 0.9992, respectively. This method is simple, amenable to automation and environmentally friendly.