Gas-liquid chromatographic analysis for purine and pyrimidine bases in hydrolysates of nucleic acid.

In this fast, simple method for analysis of microgram amounts of purine and pyrimidine bases in nucleic acid hydrolysates, RNA and DNA are optimally hydrolyzed in equal volumes of trifluoroacetic acid and formic acid, heated in a closed tube at 200#{176}C for 1.5 h (for RNA) or at 150#{176}C for 2.0 h (for DNA). The trifluoroacetic acid and formic acid are evaporated from the hydrolysates on a hot plate at 60#{176}C, under a stream of pure nitrogen. The resulting nucleic acid bases are then silylated with a mixture of equal volumes of bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide and acetonitrile at 150#{176}C for 15 mm, and analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography on a column of SE.30 on Supelcoport.