Abstract
Phenylalanine in serum and urine was determined by gas chromatography after it was converted, by action of nitrous acid, to the corresponding hydroxy acid, phenyllactic acid. After extraction with ether, the phenyllactic acid was derivatized with bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide under mild conditions, and the product was injected directly into the gas chromatograph. The precision of the method was verified by recovery studies and by comparison with the results of quantitative analysis of phenylalanine on an amino acid analyzer. Urine specimens from normal infants and children and from patients with phenylketonuria were analyzed by this method to show that the procedure is applicable to diagnosis of the disorder.