HIGHLY SENSITIVE HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC METHOD TO DISCRIMINATE ENANTIOMERIC MONOACYLGLYCEROLS BASED ON FLUORESCENT CHIRAL DERIVATIZATION WITH -TERT-BUTY1-2-METHYL-1,3-BENZODIOXOLE-4-CARBOXYLICACID())

As an extension of previous methods for enantiomer analyses of diacylg lycerols, a highly sensitive HPLC method was developed for the determi nation of the absolute configuration and optical purity of monoacylgly cerols. Chiral derivatization by a fluorescent (S)-TBMB carboxylic aci d followed by a normal-phase HPLC separation of the derived diastereom eric di-(S)-TBMB-carbonyl-sn-1- and -sn-3-monoacylglycerols provided u seful tools to determine the chirality of a series of saturated and un saturated monoacylglycerols (C-12:0-C-18:0, C-18:1, C-18:2 and C-18:3) [(S)-TBMB = (S)-(+)-2-tert.-butyl-2-methyl-1,3-benzo]. In addition, th e HPLC elution times of each diastereomeric isomer were correlated wit h the chain length (carbon number) and the double bond numbers of acyl groups.