[Assay of 2-phenylbutyric acid in plasma with gas and liquid chromatography]

Two chromatographic methods which allow the measurement of 2-phenylbutyric acid in serum are described: a gas chromatographic, after silylation, and a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic. The liquid chromatography with a fluorescent detection, after derivatization by 4-bromomethyl-7-methoxycoumarin, is ten times more sensitive than gas chromatography and 50 ng/ml can be measured in biological liquids.