APPLICABILITY OF A POSTCOLUMN PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTOR IN THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY OF 34 POLYPHENOLIC COMPOUNDS WITH UV DETECTION

The utility of postcolumn photoderivatization for a better and more reliable identification and discrimination of 34 polyphenolic compounds of interest in oenology was studied. The procedure, which is functionally very simple, allows spectral relationships to be obtained between the compounds and their photoproducts which make them easier to identify. These relationships are presented for cases in which a diode-array detector is not available. The variables affecting the experimental device (open-tubular reactor length, pH, nature of the modifier and acids used in the mobile phase) were optimized and their relative importance is discussed.