The development of an electrochemical sensor for the determination of cyanide in physiological solutions

• Published in: Analytica chimica acta Vol. 558; no. 1; pp. 158 - 163
• Main Authors: Lindsay, A.E., O’Hare, Danny
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 03.02.2006; Elsevier
• Subjects: Amperometric; Analytical chemistry; Chemistry; Cyanide; Electroanalysis; Electrochemical methods; Exact sciences and technology; General, instrumentation; Gold; Physiological; Sensor; Cyanide; Gold; Electroanalysis; Amperometric; Physiological; Sensor; Albumin; Cyanides; Calibration; Chemical sensor; Blood; Electrochemical detector; Sample preparation; Hydrogen Cyanides; Detection limit; Amperometry; Standard deviation
• ISSN: 0003-2670; 1873-4324
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2005.11.036

Hydrogen cyanide gas produced during fires can cause poisoning from smoke inhalation. Blood cyanide concentrations in healthy subjects are sub-micromolar. Toxic or fatal blood concentrations are generally considered to be greater than 40 μmol dm −3 but concentrations in survivors can exceed 200 μmol dm −3, while values exceeding 400 μmol dm −3 have been recorded from fatalities. Cyanide in blood is either free in plasma or bound to ferric haemoglobin. Current analytical techniques require sample pre-treatment, generally with extraction of the cyanide from the sample. An amperometric test was developed which could determine free cyanide at physiological pH in a solution of albumin and other blood constituents without sample pre-treatment, with a calibration range exceeding 400 μmol dm −3 and a limit of detection (LOD; using three standard deviations) of 4 μmol dm −3 which is lower than would be treated clinically.