Determination of urinary monohydric and dihydric phenols by gas chromatography of the acetate and TMS derivatives. 4-Dimethylaminopyridine as a catalyst for acetylation reactions.

A procedure is described for the quantitative extraction of phenols from human urine. The compounds were chromatographed as the trimethylsilyl derivatives on wall-coated glass capillary columns. A more specific method of extraction involving the formation of acetate derivatives is also described. The acetates were prepared by treating dilute solutions of phenols at room temperature with acetic anhydride in the presence of 4-dimethylaminopyridine, which is a far more powerful catalyst than pyridine. Under these conditions N-acylamino acids are converted to azlactones.