A Simple Purification of Indole-3-Acetic Acid and Abscisic Acid for GC-SIM-MS Analysis by Microfiltration of Aqueous Samples through Nylon

Abstract

A simple procedure was developed for the partial purification of plant tissue samples to be analyzed simultaneously for indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA). The procedure relies on removal of contaminants by filtration through nylon and partitioning into dichloromethane. This procedure successfully purified both IAA and ABA from muskmelon, cotton, and broccoli tissue. Twenty individual samples can be purified and methylated in 8 h for analysis of free IAA and ABA with gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring-mass spectrometry. The use of microfiltration of aqueous samples through nylon offers new opportunities for improving the efficiency of existing sample purification procedures.