A simple and sensitive fluorimetric method for the determination of ep
inephrine is described. The method is based on the reaction of epineph
rine with o-phenylenediamine in alkaline medium. The addition of 0.2%
(v/v) acetone enhances the fluorescence 50-fold. Under optimum conditi
ons, a linear relationship was obtained between the fluorescence inten
sity and the concentration of epinephrine in the 2.0 x 10(-8)similar t
o 6.0 x 10(-6) mol/l range; the detection limit is 9.3 x 10(-9) mol/l.
In recovery tests, the relative standard deviation (five replicates)
was within 2.0% over the linear range. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.