Detection and determination of N-nitrosamines by thin-layer chromatography using fluorescamine.

A novel procedure is described for the detection and determination of N-nitrosamines (NAs) on thin-layer chromatographic plates. Ultraviolet irradiation of NAs on activated plates (silica gel or aluminum oxide) yields primary or secondary amines, which after spraying with fluorescamine reagent give fluorescent or non-fluorescent products, respectively. The majority of the 24 NAs examined afforded NAs, although the volatile dimethyl-, diethyl- and pyrrolidine-N-nitrosamines gave limits of 500, 40, and 40 ng, respectively. Spectrophotometric determinations of the relative fluorescence of 0.1-40 nmoles of NAs gave rise to nearly linear calibration curves when plotted on a log-log scale.