High-performance liquid chromatographic resolution and quantification of a dilacton antibiotic mixture (antimycin A)

High-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) conditions are presented for the separation and quantitative determination of a homologous antibiotic complex (antimycin A). Combined HPLC and chemical ionization mass spectrometry proved to be exceptionally useful for the structural identification of chromatographic components. Using electrochemical, fluorescence, and ultraviolet detectors, the minimum detectable amounts of the antibiotics were found to be in the ranges 0.10–1.12, 0.31–1.69, and 4.10–28.2 ng, respectively. Advantages of the preparation of Dns derivatives for use in fluorescence detection are discussed. Application of the HPLC technique to the analysis of the antibiotic mixture in organic tissues is demonstrated.