Chelometric determination of aluminium in vaccines.

A rapid and accurate chelometric method is described for the determination of aluminium in aluminium-phosphate-adsorbed vaccines. Thiomersal preservative in the vaccine is first destroyed and the aluminium content is determined by addition of excess disodium edetate (Na(2)-EDTA) and back-titration with zinc sulfate using dithizone as an indicator. Phosphate does not interfere with the method. The aluminium content of the samples under investigation varied from 0.3 mg/ml to 1.0 mg/ml. In analysis of vaccines containing inactivated poliomyelitis virus, aluminium was determined with a standard deviation of 0.0014 mg and in other vaccines with a standard deviation of approximately 0.0040 mg.