Quantitative determination of germines. The rate of transformation of germine-3,16-diacetate in buffered solutions of pH 7.4.

Germine (GER), germine-3-monoacetate (GMA) and germine-3,16-diacetate (GDA) when treated with 9:1 mixture of concentrated sulfuric acid and glacial acetic acid yield a deep purple color with characteristic ultraviolet absorption spectra. Combination of the color reaction with TLC makes possible the quantitative determination of these compounds in buffered solutions of pH 7.4 with a > 90% yield and satisfactory accuracy. It was observed that GDA incubated in such solutions is slowly transformed into GMA. The transformation of GDA to GMA was significantly faster with higher than with lower concentrations of GDA. There was no detectable breakdown of GMA under the same experimental conditions.