Determination of copper in whole blood, plasma and serum using Zeeman effect atomic absorption spectroscopy.

Methods are presented for the determination of copper in whole blood, plasma and serum using Zeeman effect flame and furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. Three flame measurement modes were compared: continuous aspiration, microsampling in the peak height mode and microsampling in the peak area mode. The microsampler/peak area method was the most satisfactory. The precision for the microsampler/peak area method was as follows: the within-run relative standard deviation (RSD) was 1.84% and 1.89% for whole blood specimens with copper concentrations of 983 micrograms/l and 974 micrograms/l, respectively. The within-run RSD was 2.14, 1.66 and 0.87% for plasma specimens with concentrations of 990, 1,467 and 1,963 micrograms/l, respectively. Within-run RSD was 6.64, 2.86 and 1.15% for serum specimens with concentrations of 462, 984 and 2,056 micrograms/l, respectively. The average detection limit for the microsampler/peak area method was 10.3 micrograms/l. Concentrations could be read directly from standards prepared in human whole blood, plasma or serum pools or in a commercial control.