Elemental Analysis by Gas Chromatography-Atomic Emission Detection for the Control of a Deuterated Derivatization Reagent

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Abstract
Methyl iodide is a derivatization reagent often used to methylate molecules with amine, hydroxyl or carboxylic groups before a gas chromatographic analysis. In order to improve the analytical qualities of quantitative determination by gas chromatography mass spectrometry, derivatization with reagents labelled with stable isotopes can be used. Deuteromethyliodide can be used instead of methyliodide to obtain labelled compounds easily detected, as far as the reagent is pure enough. This paper illustrates the use of the gas chromatography atomic emission detection coupling (GC-AED) for the study of the purity of a reagent labelled with deuterium (IC2H3) used for the derivatization of a new immunoenhancer (sodium ditiocarb - lmuthiolR) before the GC-MS determination of the parent drug and its methylated metabolite. The elements monitored simultaneously are: carbon (193.03 nm), hydrogen (656.3 nm), deuterium (656.04 nm), iodine (183.1 nm) and sulfur (180.7 nm). The chromatograms corresponding to these various elements obviously show the presence of compounds containing deuterium and I or hydrogen associated with iodine and make easier and faster the determination of the chemical pollution of the IC2H3 batch. The monitoring of the specific wavelength associated to the atomic emission of sulfur (180.7 nm) allows easy detection o f ditiocarb and its metabolite from the chromatogram made very complex by the reagent pollution.