ULTRASENSITIVE NICKEL DETERMINATIONS FOR TOXICOLOGY

INCREASINGLY STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS ARE BEING PLACED ON THE DETECTION AND ACCURATE CHARACTERIZATION OF TOXIC ELEMENTS INENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. THE TOXICOLOGY OF NICKEL, IN ELEMENTAL AND METALLO-ORGANIC FORM, HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF MUCH ATTENTION IN RECENT YEARS. NICKEL HAS BEEN IMPLICATED IN NUMEROUS CARCINOGENIC, MUTAGENIC, METABOLIC, AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES. AS THE KNOWLEDGE OF BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS EXPANDS, THE DESIRE TO CHARACTERIZE THE ROLE OF NICKEL AND OTHER METALS AT INCIPIENT AND MICROSCOPIC LEVELS INCREASES ACCORDINGLY. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN RESONANCE IONIZATION SPECTROSCOPY PORTEND A QUANTUM LEAP IN SENSITIVITY FOR TRACE METALS. THE SELECTIVITY AND SENSITIVITY OF RESONANCE IONIZATION SUGGEST THAT ABSOLUTE SENSITIVITIES OF A FEW THOUSAND ATOMS MAY BE ACHIEVED FOR NICKEL, WITH THE ATTENDANT BENEFITS OF REDUCED SAMPLE PREPARATION, ISOTOPE DILUTION RELIABILITY, AND MULTIELEMENT POTENTIAL. THE SPECIFIC AIMS OF PHASE I ARE TO: INVESTIGATE RESONANCE IONIZATION SCHEMES FOR NICKEL, DEVELOP SIMPLIFIED SEPARATIONMETHODS FOR NICKEL IN BIOLOGICAL MATRICES, INVESTIGATE ATOMIZATION METHODS FOR NICKEL, AND DEMONSTRATE ULTRASENSITIVE NICKEL ANALYSES. IN PHASE II THE METHODOLOGYWILL BE EXTENDED TO OTHER TOXIC ELEMENTS, AND A COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM WILL BE ESTABLISHED TO INTEGRATE THE TECHNOLOGY INTO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY.