Determination of glyoxylic acid in urine by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection, using a novel derivatization procedure based on the Petasis reaction.

The Petasis reaction is the multi-component reaction of a carbonyl compound, amine, and arylboronic acid to form an α-amino acid or a β-aminoalcohol. In this work, as the first analytical application of the Petasis reaction, a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with fluorescence detection was developed for determination of glyoxylic acid. The glyoxylic acid was derivatized with 1-pyreneboronic acid, as fluorescent arylboronic acid, in the presence of N-methylbutylamine, as amine, to give a fluorescent α-amino acid. HPLC separation of the fluorescent derivative was performed within 30 min on an octyl column eluted with a gradient prepared from acetonitrile and 50 mmol L(-1) acetate buffer (pH 4.0). The detection limit (S/N=3) for glyoxylic acid was 5.0 nmol L(-1) (20 fmol/injection). The method can be used to determine the concentration of glyoxylic acid in human urine without interference from biological components.