Evaluation of Hydrogen Cyanide in the Blood of Fire Victims Based on the Kinetics of the Reaction with Ninhydrin

Daniel Tabian,Diana Bulgaru Iliescu,Madalina Maria Diac,Mihaela Badea,Gabi Drochioiu,Sebastian Ionut Toma

doi:10.3390/app12052329

Abstract

An original kinetic spectrophotometric procedure was developed for the determination of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in the whole blood of fire victims. Cyanide poisoning by smoke inhalation is common in forensic medicine, but the blood HCN of fire victims has not been studied in detail so far. In this research project, we developed a simple, fast, sensitive, and selective quantification method for both free and metabolized HCN based on the kinetics of cyanide reaction with ninhydrin. The method was linear in range, from 0.26 to 2.6 μg mL−1, with a coefficient of determination of r = 0.994. A high molar absorptivity of 4.95 × 105 L mol−1 cm−1 was calculated under the reaction conditions. The limit of quantification was 0.052 μg mL−1; the detection limit was 0.012 μg mL−1 and the standard error was ±2.7%. This micro method proved to be accurate, sensitive, and selective and has been successfully applied to the analysis of blood samples, allowing rapid monitoring of blood cyanide in several fire victims.

Highlights

Academic Editor: Fabrizio CartaThe extreme toxicity of cyanide and environmental concerns continue to generate interest in rapid, sensitive, and selective methods for cyanide detection and quantification.Toxicity of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) from inhalation of smoke from building fires has received additional recognition in injuries and deaths [1,2,3]
2.6 μg mL−1 treated with 1 mL of ninhydrin reagent (NR) against water reached absorbance maximum at 470 nm (A = 1.993 A.U.)
When the spectrum was read against the NR and not water as the reference, the maximum moved to 493 nm (A = 1.800 A.U.)

Summary

Introduction

Toxicity of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) from inhalation of smoke from building fires has received additional recognition in injuries and deaths [1,2,3]. Exposure to HCN can induce heart attacks which are the leading cause of fire deaths [4]. When the body is exposed to HCN by inhalation, it becomes deprived of oxygen, and mitochondria deteriorate rapidly until death occurs unless exposure is quickly identified and treated immediately [5]. The common cause of fire death is the inhalation of noxious gases such as HCN and carbon monoxide (CO) rather than thermal injury [3,5,6,7]. HCN has the capacity to act and can even be the cause of death [8]. It is assumed that HCN poisoning is still an overlooked diagnosis in fire victims [9,10]

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Discussion

Conclusion