Analysis of Metals in Saliva by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. I. Calcium

Abstract

Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used to analyze Ca in saliva without prior ashing, using a basically simple instrument. The saliva was sampled after acidification with a 1% (of the total saliva volume) of 1 NHCl and centrifuged to remove particulate matter. Tenfold dilutions in 4000 ppm Sr (as SrCl2 6H2O) of the supernatant could then be aspirated into an air-acetylene flame and estimated against standard Ca solutions of 0-10 ppm Ca, made up similarly in 4000 ppm Sr plus ppm Na (as NaCl). The mean Ca value of the unstimulated saliva of 68 subjects was 6.24 mg% and that for the stimulated saliva of 100 subjects was 5.87 mg%.