THE RAPID DETERMINATION OF SMALL AMOUNTS OF GLUCOSAMINE AND GALACTOSAMINE IN PROTEIN PREPARATIONS, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO SKIN TISSUE

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Abstract
Several methods for the determination of glucosamine and galactosamine by ion-exchange-column chromatography have been compared. Hydrolysates of protein preparations from ox skin were used to investigate five different ion-exchange systems combined with the Elson-Morgan colorimetric method. The hexosamines were well separated by elution from a column of Dowex 50 with 0.1 [image]-citrate buffer, pH 5.0 (method B). Good results were also obtained when Amberlite CG-120 was used with either 0.35 [image]-citrate buffer, pH 5.26 (method D), or 0.3 [image]-hydrochloric acid (method A). The colour reaction with ninhydrin was applied as an alternative method for the analysis of the fractions in method B. Galactosamine was not separated from hydroxylysine in method D and therefore ninhydrin could not be employed. The time required for the original hydrochloric acid procedure of Gardell (1953) was decreased. With a resin of small particle size, glucosamine and galactosamine were separated in 3 hr. (method A). This method was studied further and it was concluded that with Elson-Morgan analyses reliable results could be obtained for small amounts of the hexosamines even when large quantitites of amino acids were present.