The measurement of nanogram amounts of piperidine in tissues by gas chromatography.

A gas chromatographic method is presented which allows the determination of piperidine in tissue in nanogram quantities. Reaction of the perchloric acid tissue extracts with 3,5-dinitro-4-chloro-benzotrifluoride followed by extraction with hexane, results in a derivative of piperidine suitable for electron capture detection. The specificity of the procedure is confirmed by combined gas chromatography - mass spectrometry. Using this procedure the mean concentration of piperidine in whole mouse brain was found to be 219 pmoles per gram of tissue. No significant difference between the concentration of piperidine in the brains of active and behavioral sleeping mice could be found.