High sensitivity assay for the alpha 2 antagonist 6-chloro-3-methyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine and its desmethyl metabolite in plasma using gas chromatography mass spectrometry with ammonia/CCl4 chemical ionization.

A rapid and highly sensitive assay for quantifying the alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist SK&F 86466 and a desmethyl metabolite has been developed, using capillary column gas chromatography/chemical ionization mass spectrometry. This assay uses deuterium-labeled analogs of the analytes as internal standards, and has a lower limit of quantification of 100 pg ml-1. A novel reagent gas, consisting of carbon tetrachloride in anhydrous ammonia, was used to achieve maximal sensitivity.