A study of the behaviour of some sixty amino-acids and other ninhydrin-reacting substances on phenol-‘collidine’ filter-paper chromatograms, with notes as to the occurrence of some of them in biological fluids

Abstract

Althoughthemethod offilter-paper chromatography (Consden, Gordon & Martin, 1944) can be applied to very many other types of compound (Partridge, 1946; Dent, 1947a;Vischer&Chargaff, 1947; Lugg& Overell, 1947; Maw, 1947), it is likely that its value will continue to be greatest in the amino-acid field.In this paper is presented a 'map of the spots' which may be of help to other workers.All the common amino-acids and many rare ones have been studied, also a few other interesting substances, some syn- thetic and not likely to be encountered in nature, which also give a ninhydrin colour reaction re- sembling that given by c-amino-acids.Some of the commoner 'unknowns' are also included since they appear to represent new compounds of wide dis- tribution.To include all the 'unknowns' would be difficult, since it has been usual, when working with substances from natural sources, to stumble on them when least expected and in the most bewildering profusion.EXPERIMENTAL Points are only raised here which are additional to the earlier recorded work (Consden et al. 1944; Dent, 1946, 1947a).Apparatu8.The cabinet is shown in Fig. 1.It is convenient to use and construct.A cabinet of this type has given satisfactory service for two years of almost continuous use.It is much better to have two cabinets, one for the phenol and the other for the collidine runs.SolvenM.The phenol must be of A.R. or B.P. quality; too much decomposition with the formation of dirty brown material occurs if cruder phenol is used.An occasional batch of 'pure' phenol has been encountered which has decom- posed unduly in spite of all possible precautions.It is a waste of time to persevere with such a solvent.