A predictive-kinetic method for the quantitation of amino acids with ninhydrin

The development and evaluation of a predictive-kinetic method for quantifying amino acids based on reactions with ninhydrin are described. Conditions are developed for which reactions are pseudo-first-order in the amino acid. Absorbance vs. time data from the kinetic region of the reaction (1–3 half-lives) are fitted to a first-order model to predict the total absorbance change that would occur if the reaction were monitored to completion. Computed absorbance changes vary linearly with amino acid concentration between 1 × 10^?5 and 5 × 10^?5 mol l^?1. Results are virtually independent of changes in temperature (± 1° C) and ninhydrin concentration (± 3 × 10^?3 mol l^?1).     

Speeding-up of the determination of amino acids by means of high pressure liquid chromatography with reaction photometric detection using ninhydrin reagent

Ohne Zusammenfassung

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Speeding-up of the determination of amino acids by means of high pressure liquid chromatography with reaction photometric detection using ninhydrin reagent

     

TLC resolution of enantiomeric mixtures of amino acids

Summary Resolution of enantiomeric mixtures of DL-amino acids (Nine) using silica gel layers impregnated with (-)-bruncine is reported. The solvent system used was Butanol: Acetic acid: Chloroform (3∶1∶4). The diastereomers were formed and hydrolysed, by dilute HCl spray, on the chromatogram only and the amino acids thus resolved were located by ninhydrin spray. The cross resolution possibilities of enantiomers were also calculated.     

Analysis ofAllium sulfur amino acids by HPLC after derivatization

Summary Two pre-column derivatization procedures coupled with reversed phase HPLC have been compared for the analysis ofS-Alk(en)yl0L-cysteine sulfoxides in variousAllium species. In order to establish external standards some (+/-) sulfoxides were synthesized, using a new method to enhance asymmetric synthesis of the diastereoisomers. The first derivatization method is the formation ofo-phthaldialdehyde/tert.-butylthiol derivatives which can be analyzed using UV detection. The second, presently used for amino acid analysis, is the Waters Pico-Tag method, which employs phenylisothiocyanate as derivatization reagent. As the Pico-Tag method was found to be the most efficient for determination ofS-alk(en)yl-L-cysteine sulfoxides it was used to determine the alliin content of various samples of garlic.     

Separation of amino acids, their derivatives and enantiomers by impregnated TLC

The present state of TLC with respect to separation of amino acids, their different derivatives and their enantiomers by the technique of impregnation is discussed. The main approaches to impregnation viz. mixing of a suitable reagent with the adsorbent prior to plate-making, immersion of the untreated plate in the solution of impregnating reagent prior to development, and modification of the adsorbent, have been identified and discussed for each class of these compounds. The role of impregnation in resolving enantiomers or in improving the separation of mixtures of amino acids or their derivatives in terms of ion pairing, complex formation, ligand exchange or other steric interactions has been elaborated in each category.     

TLC separation and derivative spectrophotometry of some amino acids

Chromatographic systems for the separation of amino acid mixtures on RP-18 as a stationary phase have been elaborated. The best results were obtained using methanol-water (1:1, v/v; 1:3, v/v; 1:5, v/v) as a mobile phase. The following amino acids have been examined: asparagine, arginine monohydrochloride, cystine, cysteine chloride, glycine, histidine monohydrochloride, hydroxyproline, isoleucine, leucine, lysine monochloride, methionine, ornithine monohydrochloride, phenylalanine, proline, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, serine, valine. Histidine (as monohydrochloride) and methionine were determined by first-, second- and third-derivative spectrophotometry in a mixture of several amino acids.     

Electrochemical detection of amino acids

Conclusion A method for the separation and the quantification of amino acids by high performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection using an isocratic mobile phase is possible and satisfactory.

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Elektrochemischer Nachweis von Aminosäuren

     

Influence of various salts on the reversed-phase retention of some dansylated amino acids in TLC

Summary The retention of 14 dansylated amino acid derivatives was determined using aqueous LiCl, NaCl, KCl, RbCl and CsCl solutions as eluents in reversed-phase thinlayer chromatography. The salts exerted typical salting-out effects, the retention of each dansylated amino acid increased with increasing concentration of salt in the eluent. This effect has been tentatively explained by the suppression of the dissociation of the polar groups in the solute molecules resulting in increased apparent lipophilicity. The correlation between the increased retention of dansyl amino acids and the salt concentration was found to be linear. The hydrated radii and energy of hydration of cations as well as the hydrophobicity of free amino acids and the pK value of the -amino groups simultaneously influenced the retention.     

Effect of halides on the TLC resolution of amino acids below their isoelectric points

TLC of a fifteen component mixture of amino acids has been carried out in two ways; firstly, the amino acids were treated with halides below their isoelectric points and chromatographed on plain silica plates, and secondly the amino acids in their cationic forms were chromatographed on silica plates impregnated with halides, keeping the same solvent system. The resolution is considered to be affected by hydrophobic interactions between silica gel and amino acid molecule and by the polarity and the flow of the mobile phase. The method provides resolution of 10–11 amino acids from the fifteen component mixture.     

New chiral derivatization reagent for the resolution of amino acids as diastereomers by TLC and HPLC

Summary The applicability of a new chiral reagent to the resolution of amino acid enantiomers has been investigated. The new reagent, S(-)-N-1-(2-naphthylsulphonyl)-2-pyrrolidinecarbonyl chloride (NSP-C1), was synthesized by the chlorination of S(-)-N-1-(2-naphthylsulphonyl)-2-pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid which was prepared by the reaction of 2-naphthalene sulphonyl chloride with L-proline. Derivatization of the amino acids proceeds rapidly at ambient temperature and no racemization takes place during the reaction. The resolution of the diastereomeric amides was performed by TLC and normal phase HPLC. Complete resolutions were observed for the enantiomers of all amino acids examined except cysteine, cystine and histidine. The favourable UV absorption of the derivatives enabled the optical antipode to be determined down to the 0.1% level.     

TLC separation of some biologically important amino acids on pyridinium tungstoarsenate impregnated layers

Summary A satisfactory TLC separation scheme for 15 important amino acids on silica gel layers impregnated with pyridinium tungstoarsenate using isoamyl alcohol-wateracetic acid (605030) as the solvent system has been worked out. It is found that the Martin relationship is obeyed by similarly constituted amino acids. A plot of R_M vs the concentration of pyridinium ion released shows a scatter suggesting that, besides exchange properties, other factors also strongly influence the movement of amino acids.     

Improved high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of guanidino compounds by precolumn dervatization with ninhydrin and fluorescence detection

Ninhydrin has been investigated as a pre-column derivatization reagent for guanidino compounds. The reaction takes place under strongly alkaline conditions, followed by a second step at low pH and elevated temperature. This procedure yields derivatives with favourable fluorescence properties (excitation at 390 nm, emission at 470 nm). Amino acids do not react with ninhydrin under these conditions so that the method can easily be used for biological samples. Reversed-phase HPLC separations of the derivatives of several representative guanidino compounds in human blood have been achieved with gradients consisting of aqueous formic acid and methanol. Fluorescence detection yields quantification limits of about 20 microg L(-1). Hyphenation with electrospray mass spectrometry has been used to confirm the identity of the derivatives.     

Improved TLC systems for rapid resolution of phenyl thiohydantoin amino acids

Two new solvent systems, n-hexane + propionic acid (26:5, v/v) and chloroform + acetone (29:3, v/v), for the rapid resolution and identification of an 18-component mixture of phenylthiohydantoin amino acids are reported. Using these systems certain difficult combinations of phenylthiohydantoin amino acids are resolved. Two more solvent systems, viz chloroform + acetic acid (27:3, v/v) and chloroform + methanol (30:4, v/v), are developed to resolve phenylthiodantoin derivatives of aspartic and glutamic acids.     

The microscopy of the amino acids and their compounds

Summary Of 27 amino acids studied all yielded definite crystalline salts with picrolonic acid. The predominant crystal habit of the picrolonates is acicular, the needles usually being arranged in rosettes. While the appearance of the crystals is thus often insufficiently characteristic, it was found that in nearly all instances the refractive indices can serve for identification of the amino acid.

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Zusammenfassung Die Eignung der Pikrolonsäure für die Erkennung von Aminosäuren wurde einer systematischen Untersuchung unterzogen. Von 27 Säuren gaben alle deutlich kristalline Pikrolonate, welche allerdings meist als Nadeln, die oft zu Rosetten vereinigt sind, abgeschieden werden. Obschon das mikroskopische Bild häufig eine Unterscheidung der Aminosäuren nicht gestattet, wurde festgestellt, daß die Bestimmung der Brechungsexponenten in fast allen Fällen die Erkennung der vorliegenden Aminosäure ermöglicht.

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Résumé (W) Pour identifier l'acide picrolonique, employé souvent pour la détermination des amino acides, on a soumis celui-ci à une étude systématique.On a étudié 27 acides qui tous donnèrent nettement des picrolonates bien cristallisés formant des aiguilles s'assemblant souvent en rosettes. Bien qu'en général on ne pouvait pas distinguer les sels amino au microscope, il fut établi que la détermination de l'indice de réfraction rend possible, presque dans tous les cas, l'identification de l'amino acide présent.

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Aided by a grant from the Research Board of the University of California. We are indebted to the Cyrus M. Warren Fund of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for the loan of a petrographic microscope.     

The determination of some amino acids by conventional and hot plate chromatography

Summary The determination of some amino acids by TLC on silica gel plates by conventional and by hot plate technique is described and compared.     

Determination of sulfur amino acids in foods as related to bioavailability

During the processing of feedstuffs and foods, methionine can be oxidized to methionine sulfoxide and methionine sulfone, and cysteine can be oxidized to cysteic acid. Methionine sulfone and cysteic acid are nutritionally unavailable, but methionine sulfoxide can be utilized, at least to some degree. The degree of utilization depends on the levels of methionine, cysteine, and methionine sulfoxide in the diet, but there is no consensus in the literature on the quantitative impact of these dietary constituents on methionine sulfoxide utilization. Methionine and cysteine are most often determined after quantitative oxidation to methionine sulfone and cysteic acid, respectively, using performic acid oxidation prior to hydrolysis. However, this method may overestimate the methionine content of processed foods, as it will include any methionine sulfoxide and methionine sulfone present. A selection of analytical methods has been developed to allow the separate determination of the 3 oxidized forms of methionine, the merits of which are discussed in this review. An additional consideration for determining methionine and cysteine bioavailability is that not all dietary methionine and cysteine is digested and absorbed from the small intestine. Selected methods designed to determine the extent of digestion and absorption are discussed. Finally, a concept for a new assay for determining methionine bioavailability, which includes determining the digestibility of methionine and methionine sulfoxide as well as the utilization of methionine sulfoxide, is presented.