2-(5-Chlorocarbonyl-2-oxazolyl)-5, 6- methylenedioxybenzofuran as Fluorescence Derivatization Reagent for Alcohols in High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

2-(5-Chlorocarbonyl-2-oxazolyl)-5, 6-methylenedioxybenzofuran was found to be a highly sensitive fluorescence derivatization reagent for primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols in high performance liquid chromatography. Its reactivity was investigated for 1-hexanol, benzyl alcohol, cyclohexanol and 2-methyl-2-butanol. The reagent reacts with the alcohols in benzene in the presence of pyridine to produce the corresponding fluorescent esters, which could be separated on a reversed phase column, Cosmosil 5C₁₈, with aqueous 70% (v/v) acetonitrile; the detection limits (S/N=3) were 3-4fmol for 1-hexanol and benzyl alcohol, 12fmol for cyclohexanol and 900fmol for 2-methyl-2-butanol for an injection volume of 20μl. Hydroxycarboxylic acids did not give fluorescent derivatives under these conditions.