disulfide, and 10 µ\ of methyl iodide. The mixture was shaken for 5 min at room temperature and centrifuged. About 3-4 µ of the organic phase were injected into the gas chromatograph.

The stability of benzodiazepines in blood and tissues was examined in this study. Specifically, diazepam, chlordiazepoxide, flurazepam, and their desalkyl metabolites were studied over several months. Diazepam, flurazepam, and N-1-desalkylflurazepam were stable when stored in blood at room temperature while chlordiazepoxide, norchlordiazepoxide, and nordiazepam were found to be unstable under similar storage conditions. Data from tissues containing these chemicals corroborated the results from blood.

No abstract

The stability of carbon monoxide (CO) in blood was studied under various conditions of storage using both spectrophotometric and gas chromatographic-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) methods of analysis. Changes (losses) in percent carbon monoxide saturation occurred under some conditions but not under others. Various mechanisms for CO losses are considered and one (passive diffusion of CO gas) best explains these observations. Losses of up to 60% of the original saturation occurred when blood was kept in uncapped containers at room temperature for 2 1/2 weeks or at 4 degrees C for 3 weeks. However, no changes occurred when blood was kept in tightly sealed containers for at least 4 months at either temperature.