Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), Diethyltryptamine (DET), and Dipropyltryptamine (DPT).—Associate Referee Jack Fasanello has developed a gas chromatographic method to quantitatively measure the tryptamines without prior cleanup. He uses a flame ionization detector and an OV-1 stationary phase. The method involves dilution of the sample with chloroform, addition of chlorpheniramine maleate as an internal standard, and chromatographic injections. Mr. Fasanello can quantitate tryptamine mixtures by this procedure.
Column chromatography, employing a two-layer column (the sample incorporated in a basic layer and an acid layer underneath), is also being studied. An ether wash removes impurities and the tryptamine is removed with ammoniacal chloroform. The isolated tryptamine is measured spectrophotometrically. Tryptamine mixtures cannot be determined by this procedure.