A rapid method for seperation and identification of several hexuronic acids and hexuronic acid-containing oligosaccharides.

Five naturally occurring hexuronic acids and several hexuronic acid-containing oligosaccharides were separated and identified by high voltage paper electrophoresis, using one of the following buffers. (i) Pyridine-acetic acid-water (1:10:89, by volume), the pH of which was adjusted to 2.3–3.5 with 98% formic acid. (ii) Pyridine-water (1:90, by volume), the pH of which was adjusted to 3.5–4.0 with glacial acetic acid. The best separation of the five hexuronic acids and heparin disaccharides was observed at pH 2.7 after electrophoresis for 180 min at 100 V/cm. At pH 3 l-gulosyluronic acid-l-guluronic acid could be easily isolated from an acid hydrolysate of alginate by the present method.