Nano Biomedicine
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
 A study of Zinc Contained in Yellow and Black Discolored Nails by X-ray Fluorescence and X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Analyses

 Motohiro UO1, Kiyotaka ASAKURA2, Erika WATANABE3, Inkin HAYASHI3, Teruki YANAGI3, Hiroshi SHIMAZU3, and Fumio WATARI1

1Department of Biomedical Materials and Engineering, Graduate School of Dental Medicine,
2Catalyst Research Center,
3Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan


Nano Biomedicine 2010;2(2): 103-106, (Dec 30)
Synopsis
The elements in discolored nails were assessed by X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF), and the chemical state of Zn in the nail samples was assessed by X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) analysis. Compared to the normal nail, a part of the yellow nail contained a considerably high amount of Ca, whereas the black nail contained higher amounts of Ca and Zn. The chemical state of Zn in the yellow nail was similar to that in the normal nail. The Zn in the black nail was in a slightly different chemical state, suggesting the existence of different chemical species of Zn in the black nail.

Key words: nail, zinc, elemental analysis, X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS)

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