Simple and sensitive determination of diacetyl and acetoin in biological samples and alcoholic drinks by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection.

Acetoin was quantitatively oxidized into diacetyl by Fe3+ in 1 M perchloric acid. The reaction of diacetyl with 4,5-dichloro-1,2-diaminobenzene afforded 6,7-dichloro-2,3-dimethylquinoxaline (DCDMQ), which was extracted by benzene containing aldrin (25 ng/ml) as an internal standard, and determined by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection. The method is very simple and sensitive. The detection limit of DCDMQ (either diacetyl or acetoin) was 10 fmol/microliters of the benzene extract, and the determination limit of DCDMQ (either diacetyl or acetoin) was 50 fmol/microliters of the extract. Both acetoin and diacetyl could be determined in 0.1 ml of normal human urine or blood, and both were found in rat liver, kidney and brain. The method was also applied to the determination of acetoin and diacetyl in alcoholic drinks.