FLUORESCENCE OF CATECHOL AMINES AND RELATED COMPOUNDS CONDENSED WITH FORMALDEHYDE
Open Access
- 1 May 1962
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry
- Vol. 10 (3) , 348-354
- https://doi.org/10.1177/10.3.348
Abstract
The reaction under mild conditions between formaldehyde and phenylalanine and phenylethylamine derivatives has been studied. When the amines included in a dried protein film were exposed to formaldehyde vapour a very intense green to yellow fluorescence was give only by those that as well as being primary amines also have hydroxyl groups at the 3 and 4 positions (3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, dopamine, noradrenaline). The 3-OH group seems to be esssential for the reaction. The catechol amines, which are secondary amines (adrenaline, epinine), gave a much weaker fluorescence that developed more slowly. The results obtained on further examination of the reaction favour the view that the amines primarily condense with formaldehyde to 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines which are involved in a secondary reaction to become highly fluorescent and at the same time insoluble. This secondary reaction may be a binding to protein, and oxidation with the formation of double bonds in the heterocyclic ring, or both.This publication has 6 references indexed in Scilit:
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