5-Bromomethyl fluorescein (5-BMF) for derivatization of carboxyl containing analytes for use with laser-induced fluorescence detection.

5-Bromomethyl fluorescein (5-BMF) was evaluated in this work as a pre-column, off-line derivatizing reagent for analytes containing a free carboxyl group. The reagent possessed high molar absorptivity and quantum yield and it's excitation maximum matched the intense 488.0 nm emission line of an argon ion laser. The thermal and photo-stability of the reagent were also suitable for our work. A mixture of 5-BMF, palmitic acid, 18-crown-6 and potassium carbonate was reacted at 76 degrees C for one hour. The reaction yield was maximized by a sequential single-factor optimization of the reaction variables. Spectral characterizations were accomplished using conventional instrumentation and detection limits were evaluated using a laboratory constructed laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detector which was optimized for concentration detection. Two apparent conjugates of palmitic acid were formed under the reaction conditions employed. The conjugate chosen for quantitative purposes was stable at room temperature over 24 hours and possessed high molar absorptivity (128,832 M-1cm-1) and quantum yield (0.82) under basic conditions. The excitation and emission maxima of the conjugate were 500 nm and 523 nm respectively which maintains suitability for argon-ion laser excitation. An argon-ion LIF detector suitable for use with conventional liquid chromatography was constructed. A detection limit of 7.56 x 10(-10)M of palmitic acid was achieved at a signal to noise ratio of three, using the strong 488.0 nm laser emission line and a commercially available flow cell component. This corresponds to 38 femtomoles of palmitic acid on-column. The concentration detection limit was superior to literature reports for detection of fatty acids. The mass detection limit provided approximately an order of magnitude improvement over conventional fluorescence. The reagent is potentially useful for analysis of carboxyl containing analytes at low concentrations.