Fluorescent high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of primary aromatic amines by formation of Schiff base

Summary The precolumn derivatization of several primary aromatic amines, especially phenolamines, with 1-pyrenealdehyde, and their determination by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection have been studied. The derivatization proceeded in methanol to form the Schiff bases, which were chromatographed on the ODS column. The detection limit is 1–2 pmol. 1-Pyrenealdehyde was evaluated as a derivatization reagent for the selective analysis of phenolamines such as 2-phenylethylamine, in biogenic aromatic amines.