Gas-Liquid Chromatographic Analysis of Indole-3-acetic Acid Myoinositol Esters in Maize Kernels

An improved method of fractionating the myoinositol esters of indoleacetic acid (IAA) from maize kernels by gas-liquid chromatography has been developed. Mass spectrometry was employed as an aid in identification of the esters. Maize kernels contain three groups of esters of IAA: (a) IAA myoinositols, (b) IAA myoinositol arabinosides, and (c) IAA myoinositol galactosides. Each group has three chromatographically distinguishable isomers. The glycosylinositols described are unique in that carbon 1 of the sugar is attached to the hydroxyl at C-5 of the myoinositol.