An assay for total hexosamine and a differential assay for glucosamine and galactosamine

Two new procedures are presented for quantitative determination of glucosamine and galactosamine. One, which is proposed for total hexosamine, yields chromogens of equal intensity with equal concentration of glucosamine and galactosamine. There is addition of the correspondent chromogens when they are present in mixtures. The procedure is presented as a manual as well as an automated assay. The other procedure is a differential assay which allows the detection of galactosamine without interference by glucosamine. By the two procedures, the hexosamines present in acid mucopolysaccharides and/or glycoproteins can be determined.