A Direct Method For The Determination of Manganese in Whole Blood: Patients With Seizure Activity Have Low Blood Levels

A direct method is presented for the determination of manganese in whole blood or serum by atomic absorption spectroscopy, using a graphite furnace with a temperature ramp controller. Blood or serum is diluted with an equal volume of a five percent solution of Triton-X100 containing heparin. This prevents the blood from coagulating and produces a solution with a viscosity suitable for injection into the furnace. The determination is linear in the range of 0-20 ppb with recoveries of around 100 percent. Blood levels from control subjects have a mean of 14.8 ppb, while serum levels are 1.2 ppb. A clinical application of the method is presented in a comparison of blood manganese levels in a group of patients with seizure activity as compared to a contro