Abstract
The extraction of amines from samples of chocolate, cheese, wine, cooked meat, baked beans and yoghurt has been carried out according to a recently devised method. This involves homogenisation in a two phase solvent system and isolation of the amines on an ion-exchange column. The amines were analysed, as their trifluoro-acetyl derivatives, by gas chromatography (on support-coated open tubular columns) and by combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The major compounds most commonly found in the foodstuffs extracted are: pyrrolidine, 2-phenylethylamine, iso-pentylamine, ammonia and two compounds ('A' and 'B') which still remain unidentified. The synthesis of a large number of authentic amines are described; these were prepared with a view to the identification of the two particular unknown compounds. The mass spectra of the derivatives of components found in the foods are reported and the fragmentation processes of the six major constituents are discussed. The mass spectra of the synthesised compounds are included and their behaviour under electron-impact is discussed. The trifluoroacetyl derivatives of a series of alkylamines and cycloalkylamines have been prepared and their mass spectra recorded in order to gain information on the characteristic fragmentation patterns of this type of compound. A variety of perfluorobenzoyl derivatives of aliphatic and aromatic amines have been prepared and several modes of fragmentation for this type of compound are proposed.