Detection of esters as hydroxamates after separation by paper electrophoresis

✍ Scribed by J.L. Frahn

• Book ID: 104145134
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1971
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 966 KB
• Volume: 56
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1873-3778
• DOI: 10.1016/s0021-9673(00)97780-x

✦ Synopsis

Paper electrophoresis lends itself to the study of several classes of compound containing a carboxylic ester function. These compounds can be located on pherograms after reaction with alkaline hydroxylamine, the resulting hydroxamates being revealed as coloured ferric iron complexes using a ferric chloride spray reagent. Wide variation is evident in the response of esters to the hydroxylamine reagent, and the differences in reactivity could be diagnostically useful. Although acetates and lactones react in mildly alkaline medium at room temperature, many esters such as acid phthalates, benzoates, and some tropane and pyrrolizidine alkaloids require a strongly alkaline reagent, Other pyrrolizidine alkaloids and many esters of o-sulphobenzoic acid require forcing conditions -elevated temperatures (up to 110') in strong1.y alkaline medium -to form the corresponding hydroxamates. Some esters are not detectable using even more energetic conditions.