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Human Pheromone Extraction
Name: Mark D
Status: Student
Age: 20s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
How are Human Pheromones extracted from sweat and urine?
Replies:
This is a special case of the analysis of any trace organic compound. The
procedure for the isolation and identification of trace organic compounds
generally involves these steps:
1. Concentration,
2. Separation & Classification (acid, base, or neutral),
3. Identification (what substance), and 4. Quantification (how much).
The concentration / separation is accomplished by one of three methods:
[a.] liquid chromatography,
[b.] selective absorption on macroreticular
resins + selective elution (this is a special type of liquid
chromatography),
[c.] vapor phase chromatography.
The classification step, where needed, is accomplished by selective elution
with an acid, a base or a neutral eluent. This step is also sometimes used
directly in conjunction with vapor phase chromatography which separates the
compounds according to volatility and absorption on a surface-treated
absorbant substrate.
The identification / quantification can be accomplished by any appropriate
organic analytical technique; however, the most direct method is high
resolution mass spectrometry. High resolution mass spectrometry yields a
precise molecular mass of the parent compound, and the precise masses of
cracking fragments often allows the assignment of a molecular structure.
This data often permits assignment of a molecular structure, since these
instruments search enormous libraries of the mass spectra of known
substances. The structure assignment can be confirmed by synthesizing the
candidate compounds and comparing their mass spectra, if necessary, but
often it is not necessary.
In labs set up to do this type of analysis, the concentration /separation
steps are frequently connected directly to the front end of the mass
spectrometer so that there is not intermediate handling of the various
compounds.
The characterization of trace organic compounds is chemical technology at
its max.
Vince Calder
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Update: June 2012
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