Quantitative high-performance thin-layer chromatography of dansyl derivatives of biogenic amines.

A procedure for the separation, detection, and quantification of picomole levels of dansyl derivatives of the biogenic amines, dopamine, norepinephrine, octopamine, and serotonin, has been developed using high-performance thin-layer chromatography. The detection limit is 1 to 2 pmol. Each of the amine derivatives has been detected in insect brain tissue and a solvent system has been developed for the separation and quantification of octopamine in insect tissue samples.