AUTOMATED PRE-COLUMN DERIVATIZATION HPLC

An automated pre-column derivatisation system is presented. As an example of its application we have chosen ion-pair partition chromatography. Ion-pairs of a mixture of some alkaloids (apoatropine, hyoscyamine, scopolamine and ergotamine) were formed with picric acid in an aqueous phase, extracted into chloroform and injected in-situ onto a silica gel column for separation within 15 minutes. This paper shows the possibility of making an automated pre-column derivatisation system with a relative standard deviation of less than 3% per injection (n=6). The linearity check was made for hyoscyamine and ergotamine solutions in the concentration range of 80 to 200 ng respectively 240 to 720 ng per injection and found to be linear. The information obtained is of general validity and could generate more studies in this area. © 1979 Friedr. Vieweg & Sohn Verlagsgesellschaft mbH.