Solvent extraction of tricyclic amines from blood plas- ma and liquid chromatographic determination

The extraction of seven tricyclic antidepressant amines from human plasma at different pH values was investigated for dichloromethane, diethyl ether and hexane—1-pentanol (95:5). The amines were extracted as bases and back-extracted to sulphuric acid, 0.10 mol/l, prior to the separation by bonded-phase liquid chromatography. Ether and hexane— 1-pentanol (95:5) were most suitable, tertiary amines being best extracted at pH 8, and secondary amines at pH 10. Using ether, both tertiary and secondary amines required 30 min extraction time for a quantitative yield while 15 rain was sufficient for hexane— -1-pentanol (95:5). UV detection allowed concentrations down to 10 ng in 1 ml of plasma to be determined.Three ammonium ions—octylammonium, dimethylammonium, and trimethylammonium - were added as modifiers to the mobile phase containing acetonitrile in phosphoric acid, 0.10 mol/l. In the concentration interval 0.010–0.030 mol/l all of the amine modifiers gave on Polygosil C₈ peak asymmetry factors of sufficiently low magnitude, while on Li- Chrosorb RP-18 this was so only for di- and trimethylammonium in a concentration of 0.030 mol/l.