Selenium and its compounds – Determination of selenosugar 3 and trimethylselenonium in urine by cation-exchange chromatography-ICP‑MS

The working group “Analyses in Biological Materials” of the Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area developed and verified the presented biomonitoring method.This analytical method is used to determine two organic selenium species with cationic character in urine. Selenosugar 3 (SeSug 3) and trimethylselenonium (TMSe) can be separated by cation-exchange chromatography and subsequently detected using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP‑MS). Calibration is performed using standard solutions in pooled urine, which are processed and analysed analogously to the samples to be analysed.