Abstract
The reaction of Ni (II) dithiocarbamate chelate formation was applied as a color reaction in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of aliphatic primary and secondary amines. The reaction proceeded quantitatively and almost instantaneously at room temperature in alkaline media. The deep yellow (logε=4.5 at 325 nm) reaction products were extractable with organic solvents and gave sharp peaks on both normal-phase and reverse-phase chromatography. This method was applied to the microdetermination of stimulant drugs, e.g. methamphetamine and amphetamine, in urine, and as little as 1 ng of these drugs could be detected.
