Voltammetric determination of boron in plasma using Beryllon(III) as a ligand

An alternative, sensitive method to inductively coupled plasma and neutron activation mass spectrometry for the evaluation of human boron plasma levels was investigated. Adsorptive stripping voltammetry with a differential pulse modulation was chosen. UV digestion was used to remove organic matter. Beryllon(III) was used as the ligand for boron; the best conditions of the method were found to be: 0.05 M HOAc/0.025 M NH4OAc buffer supporting electrolyte; 7 × 10−5 M Beryllon(III); −0.250 V accumulation potential (vs. Ag/AgCl/sat. KCl); 200 mV/s−1 sweep rate. The linear range for boron determination was 0 to 20 μg l−1, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9997 (n = 8). Blood samples from healthy female volunteers (mean 59 years: range 49–68 years) were analyzed. A boron plasma level of 35.00 ± 6.53 μg l−1 was found, which agrees with the literature values of the last five years.