Atomic-absorption determination of manganese, cobalt and copper in whole blood and serum, with a graphite atomizer.

A new and rapid method is described for the determination of Mn, Co and Cu by atomic absorption with a graphite atomizer and deuterium compensation, on very small samples of whole blood and serum, with no preliminary manipulations. The metal concentrations in blood serum from healthy donors have been found to be Mn 9 +/- 4.3 ng ml ; Co 7.7 +/- 1.9 ng ml and Cu 1.2 +/- 0.16 mug ml .