Microdetermination of magnesium in biological fluids

A modified procedure for the spectrophotometric determination of serum magnesium is described in which a direct addition of serum is made to a two-piece color reagent system. One solution contains an optimized concentration of the color reagent Magon, 1-azo-2-hydroxy-3-2-(2,4-dimethylcarboxanilido)-naphthalene-1′-(2-hydroxybenzene-5-sulfonate) sodium salt, in a dimethyl sulfoxide medium for binding magnesium and also EGTA, ethylene-bis(oxyethylenenitrilo)-tetraacetic acid, for binding calcium. The other is an alkaline solution of dilute cyanide to bind copper and iron and provide the optimum reaction pH. By means of these ingredients the simple procedure involves a reaction with serum magnesium while masking the interference of calcium and trace metals and allowing the reaction to take place without either separation or deproteinization steps. Optimized characteristics are shown for a linear reaction involving a variable reaction blank in the procedure where calcium is measured against a blank that is constant in its makeup. The linearity of the procedural reagent blank, with respect to its own concentration, helps attain the required linear results for the overall system and this is described by spectral studies.