Comparison of ninhydrin, fluorescamine, and o-phthaldialdehyde for the detection of amino acids and peptides and their effects on the recovery and composition of peptides from thin-layer fingerprints

✍ Scribed by E. Schiltz; K.D. Schnackerz; R.W. Gracy

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1977
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 568 KB
• Volume: 79
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-2697
• DOI: 10.1016/0003-2697(77)90375-x

✦ Synopsis

Amino acids and peptides separated by ~hromatog~phy and eIe~trophoresis on thin layers of ceIIuiose or silica gel were located by spraying them with either ninhydrin, fluorescamine, orb-ph~aldiaIdehyde.

o-Phthaldialdehyde and ninhydrin permitted the detection of amino acids in the SO-ZOO-pmo1 range and were superior to Ruorescamine. Ninhydrin and fluorescamine, on the other hand, were better for the detection of peptides. Proline and peptides with amino-terminal proline were best detected as black spots when sprayed with fluorescamine, whereas peptides with amino-terminal proline which also contained e-amino groups were more easily visualized with ninhydrin or o-phthaldialdehyde, A method is described for the elution of peptides from thin layers with 6 N HCI. Most small peptides were recovered in yields of at least 80%, ninhydrin-reacted peptides in somewhat lower yields. Only fluorescamine-treated peptides could be recovered from thin layers without destruction of any amino acid.