Determination of iron in serum or plasma by atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

The determination of serum iron has been shown to be feasible by the use of a modified single-beam atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The effect of interfering substances is eliminated by the use of standards prepared in physiological concentrations of protein. Average percentage recovery of added iron was 97.9 with an over-all coefficient of variation of 1.6%. Disparities between samples due to the effect of unequal viscosities and flow rates were overcome by the integration of the record curve generated by a measured volume of sample. Comparison between the method presented and a colorimetric procedure gave a higher mean value and normal range for plasma quantitated by atomic absorption spectrophotometry.