SENSITIVE AND SELECTIVE DETERMINATION OF BROMISOVALUM BY HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY PARTICLE-BEAM MASS-SPECTROMETRY

A specific procedure using high-performance liquid chromatography/particle beam mass spectrometry (HPLC/PBMS) has facilitated determination of bromisovalum in human plasma and whole blood. Bromisovalum, a sedative and hypnotic, was effectively extracted with Sep-Pak C-18 cartridges and selectively determined by HPLC/PBMS of EI mode. An originally synthesized 2-bromohexanoylurea served as the internal standard (IS). The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range 0.5-5.0 mu g/g and the lower limit of detection was 0.1 mu g/g (10 ng at the time of direct injection). This method could be practically applied to detect bromisovalum in the whole blood of an autopsied individual.