A method for spectrophotometric determination of acetaldehyde with thiosemicarbazide in blood

Abstract

The thiosemicarbazide method for spectrophotometric determination of acetaldehyde (AcH) in whole blood is presented. The concentration of thiosemicarbazone formed in slightly acidic medium was determined at 260 nm. The influence of non-specific chromogens present in blood was eliminated by simultaneous AcH distillation and thiosemicarbazone formation. The oxidation of AcH in blood samples was prevented by chloral hydrate addition. The presented method was found two folds more sensitive than a spectrophotometric determination of AcH by semicarbazide. Due to its simplicity and sensitivity as well as to the use of low cost equipment, this method should be a valuable complement to expensive GLC or HPLC determinations of AcH.

U radu je opisana metoda za spektrofotometrijsko određivanje acetaldehida (AcH) u krvi. Kao reagens upotrebljen je tiosemikarbazid a apsorpcija nastalih u slabo kiseloj sredini tiosemikarbazona određuje se na 260 nm. Uticaj nespecifičnih hromogena prisutnih u krvi eliminiše se destilacijom AcH sa istovremenim građenjem tiosemikarbazona. Oksidacija AcH u uzorcima krvi sprečena je dodatkom hloral hidrata. Opisana metoda se pokazala osetljivom u odnosu na spektrofotometrijsko određivanje AcH sa semikarbazidom. Zbog svoje jednostavnosti, osetljivosti i ekonomičnosti ova metoda može predstavljati korisnu zamenu za GLC i HPLC određivanja AcH.