Glass capillary column gas chromatographic method for simultaneous quantitative determination of insect juvenile hormones at the picogram level: A comparitive study of various halogenated derivatives

Abstract

A gas chromatographic method has been developed for the simultaneous quantitative determination of the juvenile hormones I, II and III (JH-I, JH-II and JH-III) in insects. After extraction and partial purification the hormones are converted into their 10-heptafluorobutyryl-11-methoxy derivatives and analysed as such by gas chromatography. The gas chromatographic system consists of an all-glass moving needle injector, a glass capillary column and an electron-capture detector. JH-I, JH-II and JH-III can be determined simultaneously in amounts as low as 0.5, 0.3 and 0.2 ng, respectively, per sample. The 10-heptafluorobutyryl-11-methoxy derivatives were selected after an extensive comparative study of potentially suitable halogenated derivatives. Geometrical stereoisomers of the juvenile hormones are used as internal standards.