Re: how to measure TMA in fish tissue by Dyer method

From: Jack Wekell (jwekell@gmail.com)
Date: Fri Oct 05 2007 - 10:49:19 PDT

  • Next message: P Howgate: "Re: how to measure TMA in fish tissue by Dyer method"

    Shuming Ke:
    Whatever you do DO NOT DRY THE PICRIC ACID!!. The material you get from supply house, certainly if it is shipped, will contain sufficient moisture to keep it stable. It will dissolve in toluene. To quote from our paper [J.C. Wekell & H. Barnett: J. Food. Sci. 56:132-135;138 (1991)]:

    A stock picric acid/toluene solution was prepared by dissolving 2.9 grams picric acid (containing about 30% water;  Warning: the picric acid must not be dried before use) in 100 mL toluene yielding a 2% picric acid solution.  The clear yellow toluene phase was carefully decanted from the small aqueous phase, filtered through a Whatman No. 1 filter paper, and stored at room temperature in a brown bottle equipped with a Teflon lined cap.  The stock toluene solution is stable for at least a year.  A working solution was always prepared daily by diluting 1.0 mL of the stock solution with 100 mL toluene.

    While our paper that the quote is from deals with TMAO and TMA, you might find some of the precautions concerning the volatility of TMA in organic solvents of interest. Depending on temperature the TMA diffuses from the solvent and care must be taken to minimize that.

    John C. Wekell
    Retired



    Shuming Ke wrote:
    hi,
    I plan to use picrate method described by Dyer (j fish res bd can, 1945:351-
    358) to determine TMA content in marine fish tissue. The basic concept is to
    react TMA extracted in toluene with 0.02% picric acid and measure absorbance
    at 410nm. In Dyer' method, dry picric acid is disolved in toluene to prepare
    2% picric acid stock solution in toluene. Since dry picric acid is highly
    explosive and shock sensitive, this raises the question-- how to prepare
    picric acid solution in toluene? Do I just order dry (moisture free) picric
    acid solid and disolve in toluene? Any one has practical ideas on how to carry
    on the analysis? Many thanks.
      



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Oct 05 2007 - 10:59:31 PDT