Monitoring the elimination of gadolinium-based pharmaceuticals. Cloud point preconcentration and spectrophotometric determination of Gd(III)-2-(3,5-dichloro-2-pyridylazo)-5-dimethylaminophenol in urine

An extraction methodology based on cloud point phase separation of non-ionic surfactants has been developed for the preconcentration of ppb amounts of gadolinium in urine as a prior step to its determination by an absorptiometric procedure. A method based on the formation of complexes with 2-(3,5-dichloro-2-pyridylazo)-5-dimethylaminophenol was used for the extraction of Gd(III) in the surfactant-rich phase of non-ionic surfactant polyethyleneglycolmono-p-nonylphenylether (PONPE 7.5). The variables affecting the combined preconcentration-absorptiometric method have been evaluated and optimised. The extraction-efficiency, linearity, and the limit of detection (LOD) of the method were determined. The optimised procedure was applied to determine total and free Gd(III) contents in real urine samples of patients after the NMR imaging diagnostic examination with contrast agent.