Optimization and validation of an ion chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of sodium, ammonium and potassium in exhaled breath condensate.

An ion chromatographic method with conductivity detection for the simultaneous quantification of sodium, ammonium and potassium in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) was developed and validated. A factorial design was used to optimize the chromatographic conditions, which resulted in baseline separations of the cations within 6 min. The method requires no pre-treatment of EBC samples.