Automated analysis of alditols by anion-exchange chromatography with photometric and fluorimetric postcolumn...

Eight alditols were separated in ca. 80 min as their borate complexes by stepwise elution with three borate buffers on a column packed with Hitachi 2633 resin. The alditols in the eluate were derivatized automatically to colored, fluorescent products by applying sequential reactions of periodate oxidation and Hantzsch condensation, and the products were detected either photometrically or fluorimetrically. This automated method allowed simultaneous determination of 20-500 and 20-200 nmol amounts of alditols by photometric and fluorimetric monitorings, respectively. The lower limits of detection were ca. 2 and 0.5 nmol, respectively. The interference by aldoses was slight. Aldoses may be also determined as alditols by direct injection of aqueous solutions to which excess amounts of sodium borohydride have been added. This method was applied with success to urinary alditol assay and to molecular weight determination by end group analysis.