Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Post Column Derivatization Using Reaction Flow High Performance Liquid Chromatography Columns
Published on: April 26, 2016
An evaluation of solid phase microextraction for aliphatic amines using derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethyl
R Herráez-Hernández1, C Cháfer-Pericás, J Verdú-Andrés
1Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Valencia, Dr. Moliner 50, 46100-Burjassot, Valencia, Spain.
Abstract:
The reliability of SPME combined with a chemical reaction for the analysis of short-chain aliphatic amines by liquid chromatography has been investigated. Different options to couple SPME and derivatization have been tested and compared: (i) derivatization of the analytes in solution followed by the extraction of the derivatives, (ii) extraction of the analytes and subsequent derivatization by immersing the SPME fibre onto a solution of the reagent, and (iii) extraction/derivatization of the analytes using fibres previously coated with the reagent. Methylamine (MA), dimethylamine (DMA) and trimethylamine (TMA) have been selected as a model of primary, secondary and tertiary amines, respectively. The analytes have been derivatized with the fluorogenic reagent 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC), and the fibre coating was Carbowax-templated resin (CW-TR). The employment of fibres coated with FMOC to extract and derivatize the analytes was the best option, as compared with the other approaches tested the sensitivity was considerably improved. On the basis of these studies, a new procedure for the determination of MA, DMA and TMA in water is presented. To demonstrate the utility of the proposed conditions data on linearity, accuracy, repeatability and sensitivity are given. Results of the determination of the amines in tap, river and waste water are also presented.
Related Concept Videos
Mass Spectrometry of Amines
Preparation of Amines: Alkylation of Ammonia and Amines
Each alkylation step makes the nitrogen center more nucleophilic, which triggers successive alkylations until a quaternary ammonium salt is formed. Considering...
Preparation of 1° Amines: Gabriel Synthesis
Strong bases like NaOH or KOH deprotonate the phthalimide to form the corresponding anion, which acts as a nucleophile. Further, the anion attacks an...
Amines to Amides: Acylation of Amines
Next, the second equivalent of amine serves as a Brønsted base and deprotonates the quaternary amide...
Basicity of Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines
Acid Halides to Amides: Aminolysis
In the first step of the aminolysis mechanism, the amine attacks the carbonyl carbon of the acyl chloride to form a tetrahedral intermediate. In the second step, the carbonyl group is re-formed with the elimination of a chloride...

