Determination of Dimethyl Selenide in Breath Air of Mice by Gas Chromatography

Abstract

Determination of dimethyl selenide (DMSe) in the breath air of mice was studied by GC. Collection of DMSe was carried out using a charcoal column (0.9×10 cm) packed with 2 g of activated charcoal granules. The charcoal was transferred into a 25 ml glass-stoppered tube, and the tube was placed in chilled water. After 10 ml of CS₂ was added to the tube, the tube was Immediately stoppered and the mixture was shaken for 30 min. The extracts were filtered through glass wool and adjusted to 10 ml. The extraction was repeated twice. A 5 μl-aliquot of the extract was injected into the GC apparatus using a VZ-7 column and the peak height of the associated component was measured (R_t=2.5 min). The recovery was 70 -76%, and the observed relative standard deviation was 4.2-9.6%. The amounts of DMSe in the breath air of 10 mice after the oral administration of selenite (50 μmol-Se/kg/d) for 5 consecutive days were in a range of 32-78 μg.