DETERMINATION OF HEXOSES AND PENTOSES BY ANION-EXCHANGE CHROMATOGRAPHY - METHOD OF HIGH SENSITIVITY

A carbohydrate analyzer with 10-10 mol sensitivity was developed based on the anion-exchange chromatographic systems of Kesler (1967) and Lee et al. (1969). Sensitivity was achieved by using an acid-resistant reagent pump capable of accurate delivery with low baseline noise and eliminating acidflex tubing and the need for air segmentation. In a standard mixture of 11 carbohydrates, each was completely resolved from the other. The entire run required 6 h. The limit of detection was 1 .times. 10-10 mol for pentoses and 3 .times. 10-10 mol for hexoses while operating the photometer at 0.1 A full scale. Expanding the photometer range to 0.045 or 0.02 A could further increase the sensitivity proportionately. [Human urine was used].