ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

A rapid in vitro assay of cobalamin in human urine and medical tablets using ICP-MS

Gai Zhang, Jianbo Liu, Zuchao Meng, and Xin Wang

School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Xi’an Technological University, Xi’an, 710032, China

E-mail: gaizhang98@yahoo.cn

Received: 25 July 2008  Revised: 21 October 2008  Accepted: 27 October 2008

Abstract: A rapid and simple as well as sensitive inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method for the determination of cobalamin is described. Cobalamin in human urine and medicine tablet solutions was converted on-line into free cobalt ions in acid medium, the cobalt ions were then detected by ICP-MS. Cobalamin was determined by measuring the increase of integral counts per second intensity, which was linear over the cobalamin concentration range of 1.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ g mL⁻¹ to 8.0 × 10⁻⁵ g mL⁻¹, and the limit of detection was 0.05 ng mL⁻¹ (3σ). At the pump rate of 30 rotations per minute, one analysis cycle of cobalamin, including sampling and washing, could be accomplished in 0.5 min with the relative standard deviations of less than 5 %. The proposed procedure was applied successfully in monitoring cobalamin in human urine without any pretreatment process and in rapid determination of cobalamin in multivitamin tablets.

Keywords: ICP-MS - vitamin B12 - cobalamin - medicine

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.2478/s11696-009-0022-x

Chemical Papers 63 (3) 366–370 (2009)