Amines in unicellular green algae: 2. Amines in Scenedesmus acutus

Scenedesmus acutus contains about 10 major amines and at least 20 other amines which are present in very small quantities. The following amines were identified by mass spectrometry after separation of the trifluoroacetyl derivatives by gas-liquid chromatography and of the dansyl ² derivatives by thin-layer chromatography: methylamine, dimethylamine, ethylamine, ethanolamine, putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, N-(3-aminopropyl)-1,3-diaminopropane, N-(4-aminobutyl)-1,4-diaminobutane, 2-phenylethylamine, tyramine, piperazine, adenine, and γ-butyrolactam. The methods applied for the analyses of these amines are described and discussed.