A method for determination of selenium in organic tissues using microwave digestion and liquid chromatography.

An existing laboratory procedure for selenium analysis using open-vessel wet digestion and liquid chromatographic fluorescence determination was modified for use with microwave digestion. The proposed microwave digestion method eliminated the hazards associated with the use of HClO4 while maintaining excellent recoveries of selenium. A 2-step HNO3/H2O2 digestion procedure was developed. Digested samples were derivatized with 2,3-diaminonaphthalene, and the resultant piazselenol complex was measured fluorometrically using a liquid chromatograph. Measured values were in agreement with 9 different certified reference materials. The detection limit for this method was 0.54 ng Se/g tissue (3 sigma), and the calibration curve remained linear (r2 = 0.9968) up to 2 microg Se/g.