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From: coggan@grecc.umaryland.edu
Date: Mon, 01 Nov 1999 14:00:58 GMT
Subject: ethylchloroformate for AA deriv.?
Organization: Deja.com - Before you buy.

Anybody have any experience w/ using ethylchloroformate to derivatize
amino acids prior to their analysis by GCMS (described by Husek in FEBS
Letters 1991)? In particular, would this approach lead to problems w/
the quadrapole of a HP instrument (operating manual warns against
exposing quadrapole to free chlorine)? Alternatively, can someone
recommend another derivative that A) does not contain Si, B) contains
minimal additional C, and C) is easy/quick to make?

--
Andrew Coggan


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Before you buy.

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From: "Sanford P. Markey" <s_markey@codon.nih.gov>
Date: Wed, 3 Nov 1999 08:19:17 -0500
Subject: Re: ethylchloroformate for AA deriv.?
Organization: *

We have used several substituted chloroformates to derivatize amino 
acids using variations of the Husek procedure.  Because the reaction 
is followed by partition into toluene or a non-polar organic solvent, 
the derivatized mixture injected into the GC/MS is relatively clean 
and does not contain any components incompatible with mass 
spectrometers of any variety.  It is the fastest and easiest amino 
acid derivatization method available.  Prof. Husek has written a 
review of these procedures: Chloroformates in gas chromatography as 
general purpose derivatizing agents. Husek P.  J Chromatogr B Biomed 
Sci App. 1998 Oct 9;717(1-2):57-91.
S.P. Markey
LNT, NIMH