The disguised chromatograph, part II: The Amino Acid Analyzer

The history of Amino Acid Analysis (AAA) is the history of chromatography itself, just before Martin and Synge win the Nobel Prize for the Partition Chromatography (1952) Stein and More were working on Amino Acid separation using starch columns (1948). But that can be the subject of another post.

The important is that, since the 50's the formula didn't change too much. The automated analyzer is still a chromatograph with post column reaction and UV (ultra-violet) or Visible detection.

Using a mobile phase gradient to separate the mixture, these aparatus changed from glass packed tubes into automated systemns controled by computer and with much more fast, accurate and practical tools.

Today standard for AAA is ion exchange columns for LC and capillary GC of Amino acids derivatives.

Some companies as Phenomenex supply kits for sample preparation, calibrators and columns. For GC and HPLC equipments. So you can run all amino acids in a non-dedicated equipment.

Take a look how things improved in last 60 years!

Chromatograms from Stein and More experiments in the 50's, the could take days to run a single sample. 

Modern analysis using high-end equipment. in two hours you can separate more than 50 peaks.

Schematic of the automatic recording apparatus used in the chromatographic analysis of mixtures of amino acids.   Spackman, D. H., Stein, W. H., and Moore, S. (1958) Anal. Chem. 30, 1190–1206

Hitachi's Amino Acid Analyzer with tray for 200 vials