Paired-ion reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography of phenol sulfates in synthetic mixtures, algal extracts and urine

Phenol sulfate esters have been analyzed by paired-ion reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The method provided direct, rapid chromatography of phenol sulfates in crude extracts of the red alga Polysiphonai lanosa (2,3-dibromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzyl alcohol 1′,4-disulfate), of the brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum (1,2,3,5-tetrahydroxybenzene 2,5-disulfate), and in rat urine (resorcinol mono- and disulfates). Detector response (254 nm) was linear within the approximate range from 30–125 ng to 5–10 μg. Semipreparative scale chromatography provided sufficient amounts of purified phenol sulfates for further analysis by paper electrophoresis.