Complete Analysis of a Biologically Active Tetrapeptide: A Project Utilizing Thin-Layer Chromatography and Tandem Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

The biologically active tetrapeptide d-Ala-Gly-l-Phe-d-Leu ([des-Tyr1-d-Ala2-d-Leu5]enkephalin) was analyzed for its amino acid content and stereochemistry by normal and reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and its sequence was determined by tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry. The project involved sequential N-dansylation of a portion of the tetrapeptide, hydrolysis, isolation, and identification of the N-terminal amino acid as dansyl-alanine by comparison with standards using normal-phase TLC. A second portion of the tetrapeptide was hydrolyzed and the resulting four free amino acids were converted to their corresponding dansyl derivatives and purified by preparative normal-phase TLC. The three dansyl amino acids not identified previously were identified by TLC. The stereochemistry of each was determined by comparison with dansyl-dl-amino acid standards using reversed-phase TLC in the presence of ß-cyclodextrin, a chiral mobile phase additive. Finally, the correct amino acid sequence was determined by tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry. This project gives students valuable experience in microscale synthesis, both normal and reversed-phase TLC, stereochemical analysis, and mass spectrometry.