Determination of low levels of chlorine in adipose tissue by means of the oxygen-flask combustion technique and gas-liquid chromatography

Abstract

The oxygen-flask technique has been adapted to the determination of low levels of chlorine by employing gas-liquid chromatography. Following combustion and dissolution, chloride in aqueous solution was converted into phenylmercury(II) chloride by treatment at low pH with phenylmercury(II) nitrate. The phenylmercury(II) chloride was extracted quantitatively into toluene and determined by gas-liquid chromatography with an electron-capture detector. The method has been applied successfully to the analysis of rat and mouse adipose tissue, the chloride concentrations of which ranged from 10 to 2800 mg kg^–1.