Huie C W, Williams W R
Anal Chem. 1989 Oct 15;61(20):2288-92. doi: 10.1021/ac00195a015.
A new detection method is presented for the determination of porphyrins present in biological materials. Separation is accomplished by high-performance thin-layer chromatography after esterification of individual carboxylic acid porphyrins. Detection is achieved by utilizing one of the visible lines of an argon-ion laser for fluorometric excitation. Good selectivity and detectability are demonstrated for the determination of porphyrin profiles in human urine. The detection limits for uro-, heptacarboxy-, hexacarboxy-, pentacarboxy-, copro-, and mesoporphyrin methyl esters are in the 18-35 pg range.
