RADIATION PROTECTION ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (3): 234-242.doi: 10.27045/j.1000-8187.202603006

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Determination of carbon content in biological samples using elemental analyzer

HUANG Hui1,2, YUAN Ni1,2, AN Quan1,2, LUO Maoyi1,2,3, WANG Zhipeng1, GUO Yuanyuan1,2, WANG Yuanfei1   

  1. 1. China Institute for Radiation Protection,Taiyuan 030006;
    2. Nuclear Drug R&D Transformation and Precision Protection Key Laboratory of Shanxi Province,Taiyuan 030006;
    3. Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiology, Soochow University, Jiangsu Suzhou 215006
  • Received:2025-09-24 Online:2026-05-20 Published:2026-06-18

Abstract: 14C,a long-lived radionuclide, is widely used as a tracer in human mass balance and pharmacokinetic studies. The 14C/12C ratio in biological samples was measured by a high-sensitivity accelerator mass spectrometer, and the carbon content in the samples was analyzed by the elemental analyzer, which can reflect the content of 14C markers in different biological matrices ( including serum, plasma, whole blood and urine). In this paper, a high-precision measurement program for carbon content in biological samples was established by studying the key parameters of carbon content in biological samples measured by the elemental analyzer. The results show that the relative standard deviation of carbon content measurement in various biological samples is less than 5% when the sample sampling amount is 60~100 mg and the oxygen flow is ≥75 mL. It can be applied to the high-precision analysis of carbon content in different types of biological samples, and provides an effective analytical method for the accurate calculation of 14C activity in subsequent samples.

Key words: carbon content, biological samples, elemental analyzer

CLC Number: 

  • X830.2