The use of high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector for the determination of sulfide ions in human urine samples using pyrylium salts

Abstract Hydrogen sulfide is a toxic gas involved in the regulation of some essential biological processes. A novel, precise, accurate and rapid method based on high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection for the determination of sulfide ions in human urine sample is proposed. The method involves the derivatization of sulfide with pyrylium salts – (2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium hydrogensulfate(VI) (L1) and 4-[p-(N,N-dimethylamino)phenyl]-2,6-diphenylpyrylium chlorate(VII) (LN1). The separation occurs on InfinityLab Poroshell 120 EC C18 column using acetonitrile and phosphate buffer as a mobile phase. The detectors utilized a wavelength of 371 or 580 nm. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 2–150 μmol L−1 and 1–50 μmol L−1 for L1 and LN1 derivatives, respectively. The samples were found to be stable from sample collection to final analysis. The method was successfully applied to samples from apparently healthy volunteers.