Rapid optimized separation of bromide in serum samples with capillary zone electrophoresis by using glycerol as additive to the background electrolyte.
After decades of neglect, bromide has recently been re-introduced in therapy as an effective anti-epileptic drug. The present paper describes the methodological optimization and validation of a method based on capillary zone electrophoresis for the rapid determination of bromide in serum using a high-viscosity buffer and a short capillary (10 cm). The optimized running buffer was composed of 90 mM sodium tetraborate, 10mM sodium chloride, pH 9.24 and 25% glycerol. The separation was carried out at 25 kV at a temperature of 20 degrees C. Detection was by direct UV absorption at 200 nm wavelength. The limit of detection (signal-to-noise ratio=5) in serum was 0.017 mM. The precision of the method was verified in blank serum samples spiked with bromide, obtaining intra-day and day-to-day tests, relative standard deviation values <or=0.2% in terms of migration times and values <2% in terms of peaks areas, respectively.