DETERMINATION OF PHOSPHATE IN BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS AND REACTION MIXTURES BY ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROPHOTOMETRY

Extraction of phosphomolybdic acid by 2-octanol, and subsequent determination of the Mo concentration by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, provides a rapid, sensitive, indirect method of inorganic phosphate determination. As little as 3-4 m[mu]moles of phosphate can be determined accurately with a standard air-acetylene burner. Procedures are described for the determination of inorganic phosphate in blood, serum, bone, other biological tissues, and enzyme-containing reaction mixtures.