THE ANALYSIS OF QUATERNARY AMMONIUM-COMPO UNDS IN HUMAN URINE BY THERMOSPRAY LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS-SPECTROMETRY

A simple and rapid method for the detection of 12 quaternary ammonium compounds (Suxamethonium, Pancuronium, Benzethonium, Acetylcholine, Be thanechol, Hexamethonium, Propantheline, Methylbenactyzium, Neostigmin e, Distigmine, Pyridostigmine and Ambenonium) using thermospray high-p erformance liquid chromatography (LC) - mass spectrometry was investig ated. Each compound was extracted from urine as an ion-pair with bromo thymol blue, tropaeolin 00 and hexanitrodiphenilamine in dichlorometha ne. The used LC column was Asahipak GS-320H for aqueous steric exclusi on chromatography, and the mobile phase was 100 mM ammonium acetate-ac etonitrile (90/10 v/v or 70/30 v/v). The ion source block and tip heat er temperatures were set at 300 and 320 degrees C, respectively. The v aporizer control temperature was kept at the temperature of the take o ff temperature minus 15 degrees C. The recoveries of 12 quaternary amm onium compounds from the spiked urine were 76.1 to 98.6% by ion-pair e xtraction. The detection limits of these compounds for the simultaneou s analysis were 0.5-80 ng/ml by selected ion monitoring mode.