ABSTRACT
Carbonyl compounds such as aldehydes and ketones are reactive species in which the chemical and biological properties are governed by the aldehydic moiety. Hydrazines are one of the most popular reagents used for the quantitation of carbonyls due to their high reactivity toward carbonyls. Halogen containing hydrazines, such as pentafluorophenyl hydrazine, allow for enhanced sensitivity on detectors such as the electron capture detector and gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry with negative chemical ionization capabilities. Cigarette smoke was first introduced into an evacuated separating funnel containing N-Methyl hydrazine. One of the most widely used derivatizing agent for aldehydes and ketones is 2,4-dinitrophenyl hydrazine. Hydroxylamine has been used extensively for aldehyde analysis, especially for bound aldehydes, because it competes with the nucleophilic sites on biomolecules. Cysteamine reacts with monocarbonyls to form thiazolidines, stable 5-membered ring compounds. O-Phenylenediamine is reagent that forms derivatives of a-carbonyls that are both GC and high-performance liquid chromatography compatible.
