Qualitative gas chromatographic analysis of bacterial amines as their Schiff bases and other derivatives

Summary Columns of SE-30 and OV-17 on Chromosorb W, Apiezon N on Chromosorb G and Tenax-GC porous polymer were compared for their ability to separate bacterial amines converted to carbethoxy, dinitrophenyl, trimethylsilyl, Schiff base and fluorinated Schiff base derivatives.Tenax-GC performed less well than the other packings with respect to the number of plates and peak resolution. Dinitrophenyl and trimethylsilyl derivatives were both unsatisfactory for analysis of bacterial amines. Schiff bases and their fluorinated derivatives were found to be the most suitable. However, the former were preferred as the use of fluorinated Schiff bases confered little advantage when a flame ionization detector was employed. A maximum of 16 amines was separated, using columns of OV17 on Chromosorb W programmed from 110 °C to 280 °C at 5.5 °C min^–1 after an initial holding time of 6 min. The application of the method to analysis of cultures ofProteus mirabilis yielded two amines tentatively identified asiso-butylamine andiso-amylamine.