UTILITY OF DANSYL DERIVATIZATION TO THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF 2-PHENYLETHYLAMINE DRUGS

This paper describes the utility of dansyl derivatization in the high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of a number of 2-phenylethylamines of pharmaceutical interest. The derivatives were formed in an alkaline acetone-aqueous sodium carbonate solution, and injected into the chromatograph without the need for their extraction from the reaction mixture. Separations were accomplished on an octadecylsilane column using methanol-water-acetic acid-triethylamine mobile phases and photometric detection at 249 or 335 nm. Comparison of the retention data for the non-dansylated and dansylated 2-phenylethylamines indicated the achievement of favorable alterations in the elution orders. The applicability of dansyl derivatization to the detection of an impurity was demonstrated with a sample of epinephrine containing norepinephrine at the 2% level.