Analysis of volatile fatty acids in biological specimens by capillary gas chromatography

✍ Scribed by Traitler, H. ;Fleming, S. E. ;Koellreuter, B.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 460 KB
• Volume: 11
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0935-6304
• DOI: 10.1002/jhrc.1240110132

✦ Synopsis

A method was developed to analyze and quantitate volatile fatty acids such as acetic, propionic, butyric, iso-butyric, valeric, and iso-valeric acid from samples of biological origin. A capillary column system including an automatic on-column injection device as well as a precolumn of larger internal diameter than the analytical column was elaborated for this purpose.

In order to obtain well resolved and correctly quantifiable chromatographic peaks it turned out to be essential to work under acidic/aqueous conditions. To achieve a better sample transfer into the chromatographic system an organic solvent had to be used together with the aqueous milieu, thus improving wetting properties of the liquid sample plug introduced into the column. Cold on-column injection was applied in order to avoid discrimination of the various acids due to sample splitting and the automatic technique was chosen in view of the large number of samples from biological extractions which had to be analyzed.