Quantitative thin layer chromatographic multi-sulfonamide screening procedure

In-situ optical scanning of fluorescamine derivatives on thin layer silica gel plates provides a rapid method for the determination of multiple sulfonamides at levels below 0.1 ppm. Sample preparation is minimal. Homogenized liver or muscle is extracted with ethyl acetate and then back-extracted into 0.2M glycine buffer. After pH adjustment, the extract is washed with hexane and extracted with methylene chloride. The organic phase is evaporated to dryness and reconstituted in methanol. Pre-adsorbent layer silica gel plates are used for chromatography. The method has been applied to residues of sulfamethazine, sulfadimethoxine, sulfathiazole, sulfaquinoxaline, and sulfabromomethazine in cattle, swine, turkey, and duck tissues.