Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I am hoping to identify the presence of disaccharides in Zinnia nectar. I have been unable to come up with a procedure that is safe and relatively simple that is comparable to the Benedict's Test that is used to identify monosaccharides. I have come across a test that uses resorcinol, but am not sure how much can be used or how long the nectar needs to react with it. I am hoping to be able to obtain a diluted extract that can then be examined in the Spec 20.
Do you have any other disaccharide extraction methods that you would suggest? I would even like to use tests that can identify specific mono- and disaccharides.
I look forward to your response.

Hi,
I would look into using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) as the method of choice for separating and analyzing disaccharides. Dionex and Waters are companies that manufacture appropriate equipment for this type of analysis. Here is a little technical info from Dionex:

http://www.dionex.com/en-us/products/co ... 73365.html

http://glycob.oxfordjournals.org/content/18/6/483.full

http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/hort/ ... sec-04.php


These papers may have useful details for suitable analysis techniques. Try to get them through a library rather than paying the access fees.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/nfwhnxpy6db41wnk/

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... x/abstract

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 6/abstract

HPLC equipment is commonly available in university laboratories. I suggest you try to find a mentor who has access to this equipment. You might try contacting a marketing application chemist near you who works for either Dionex or Waters, as they probably can supply application notes on the appropriate details of the analysis you are trying to do and/or could possibly suggest appropriate mentors or other appropriate resources for you.

I wish you great success on your project!!!

Barrett L Tomlinson

Thank you! If anyone else has any other suggestions for analyzing the types of sugars, please post them! I may have difficulty finding a University lab in the area, since I contacted several and they are unable to help.