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A highly specific and sensitive determination of gamma‐aminobutyric acid by gas chromatography mass spectrometry
Author(s) -
Colby B. N.,
McCaman M. W.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
biomedical mass spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.475
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9888
pISSN - 0306-042X
DOI - 10.1002/bms.1200050309
Subject(s) - chemistry , chromatography , derivatization , mass spectrometry , isotope dilution , gas chromatography , gas chromatography–mass spectrometry
A procedure for the identification and quantification of picomole quantities of gamma‐aminobutyric acid in tissue samples is given. This procedure combines the chemical specificity of dinitrophenylation with that of gas chromatography mass spectrometry to eliminate the interferences encountered with other direct derivatization procedures. Only a limited number of dinitrophenyl amino acid ethyl esters and some fatty ethyl esters are detected in the solution used for analysis. Identification is based on retention time and on the relative abundances of the three major ion fragments of the gamma‐aminobutyric acid derivative. Quantitation is accomplished using isotope dilution techniques with [ 2 H 2 ]gamma‐aminobutyric acid as an internal standard. The procedure has been successfully applied to samples of human cerebrospinal fluid and to extracts of ganglia from the mollusc, Aplysia californica .