Formation of N- and O-methyl derivatives of lipids containing amino, amide or hydroxy groups by the pyrolytic reaction with trimethylsulfonium hydroxide

Abstract

Base-catalyzed transesterification of acyl lipids with methanol in the presence of trimethylsulfonium hydroxide (TMSH) is an easy and convenient method for the preparation of fatty acid methyl esters for GC analyses. However, lipids containing functional groups such as amino, amide and hydroxy groups are converted in varying degrees to the corresponding N- and O-methyl derivatives by the pyrolytic reaction of TMSH occurring in the injector of the gas chromatograph. For example, lipids containing amino or amide groups are converted into the corresponding N-methyl and N,N-dimethyl derivatives, fatty acid ethanolamides to the corresponding N-methyl, O-methyl and N,O-dimethyl derivatives, whereas alkyl methyl ethers are formed from long-chain alcohols. Furthermore. 2-O- and 3-O-monomethyl ethers as well as 2,3-di-O-methyl ethers are formed from 1-O-alkylglycerols, methoxy fatty acid methyl esters from hydroxy fatty acids as well as steryl 3β-O-methyl ethers from cholesterol and other sterols. Since some of the mentioned artefacts may interfere with fatty acid methyl esters in GC separations the TMSH derivatization method is recommended only with caution for lipids containing amino, amide and hydroxy groups. The methylation reactions, which finally lead to the corresponding N-methyl, O-methyl, N,N-dimethyl or N,O-dimethyl derivatives of fatty acids and lipids may, however, be of some diagnostic value for the structural analysis of such lipids by GC/MS.