Acid-catalyzed reductive amination of aldoses with 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate

The reductive amination of monosaccharides with 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (APTS) in seven different organic acids including the commonly used acetic acid was investigated by capillary electrophoresis (CE) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. The correlation between the yields of the saccharide-APTS adducts and pK(a) of the organic acid catalyst is consistent with general acid catalysis of the rate-determining step of the reductive amination reaction. Derivatization in the presence of organic acids of higher strength than acetic acid produced substantially higher yields of APTS-sugar adducts, an effect which is more pronounced for N-acetylamino sugars. Optimum yields were obtained using citric acid as a catalyst. Conversion of a few nanomoles of neutral saccharides to the APTS derivatives is achieved at 75 degrees C in less than 60 min.