HPLC determination of acetaminophen in saliva based on precolumn fluorescence derivatization with 12-(3,5-dichloro-2,4,6-triazinyl)benzo[d]benzo[1',2'-6,5]isoindolo[1,2-b][1,3]thiazolidine.

A high-performance liquid-chromatographic method for the determination of acetaminophen in saliva has been developed. This method is based on the precolumn derivatization of acetaminophen with 12-(3,5-dichloro-2,4,6-triazinyl)benzo[d]benzo[1',2'-6,5]isoindolo[1,2-b][1,3]thiazolidine, a new fluorescence derivatization reagent for phenolic compounds. The resulting derivative of acetaminophen is separated by isocratic elution on a reversed-phase column, and is fluorometrically detected at an emission wavelength of 560 nm with an excitation wavelength of 540 nm. The detection limit (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) was 0.1 microg/mL in saliva. The proposed method permits a highly sensitive and simple determination of acetaminophen in a small amount of saliva without any sample purification.