A Gas Chromatographic Technique for the Analysis of Volatile Phenols in Serum

Abstract

The method used for the determination of phenol, o-, m- and p-cresol is based upon purification by means of distillation, chloroform extraction of distillates, and gas chromatographic analysis of the trimethylsilyl ethers prepared. Serum samples from 15 normal subjects contained p-cresol (most probably sulphate-conjugated) at a mean concentration of 0.23 mg/100 ml, range 0–0.7. Such a derivative of phenol was detected in 7 of the 15 samples. There was no evidence of the presence of unconjugated phenol and p-cresol. nor of conjugated or unconjugated o- and m-cresol.