The automated determination of glucosamine, galactosamine, muramic acid, and mannosamine in soil and root hydrolysates by HPLC

Amino sugars make a significant contribution to soil organic N and are mainly of microbial origin. The most important amino sugars in soil are glucosamine, galactosamine, muramic acid, and mannosamine. A method was developed for the simultaneous determination of these four amino sugars by high-performance reverse-phase liquid chromatography in standard solutions, soil and root hydrolysates. Pre-column derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) was used in an automated sample injector with thermostatic regulation of the reagent at 4degreesC. The separation of the four amino sugars was fully satisfactory and was not disturbed by other fluorescent components in the soil and root hydrolysates.