Lithium determination in whole blood by flame atomic emission spectrometry

A simple and rapid method for the determination of lithium in whole blood using Flame atomic emission spectrometry is described. No sample preparation was required apart from dilution with 0.02 N HNO/sub 3/. The reliability of the method was determined by analyzing Standard Reference Material (SRM) under identical experimental conditions and comparing the determined lithium concentration with the reported value. These were in good agreement with each other. The determined range of lithium in the whole blood of fifty-six healthy adult volunteers (28 males and 28 females) were 13.1 - 47.8 mg L-1. The determined average concentration of lithium in whole blood was compared with the reported values of other countries. The data was statistically analyzed with respect to sex and different age groups. (author)