Analytical Sciences

Quantitative Determination of Total Amino Acids Based on Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering and Ninhydrin Derivatization

Huimin SUI,* Lei CHEN,** Xiao Xia HAN,* Xiaolei ZHANG,* Xiaolei WANG,* and Bing ZHAO*

*State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, Jilin University, Changchun, P. R. China
**Key Laboratory of Preparation and Applications of Environmental Friendly Materials, Ministry of Education, Jilin Normal University, Changchun, P. R. China

In the present study, we propose a simple and sensitive method for the determination of total amino acids without any separation steps. The procedure described here is based on the ninhydrin derivatization reaction with amino acids, followed by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) measurements of the producing mixtures. A good linear correlation of excess ninhydrin SERS signals and the log values of the total amino acids concentrations is obtained; the detection limit of the method is 4.3 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹. The derivatization reaction is reliable and the whole experimental procedure is very simple. The sensitivity of the proposed protocol allows quantitative analysis of total amino acids at picomole levels without any separation procedures. On the basis of the conventional ninhydrin reaction, we put forward a simple SERS method for determining the total amino acids concentrations with high sensitivity, which is a promising way for routine detection.

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