title: Mass spectrometric determination of N-hydroxyphenacetin in urine using multiple metastable peak monitoring following thin-layer chromatography.
abstract: This work describes a method for the quantitative determination of the labile, toxic N-hydroxy metabolite of phenacetin in urine. A thin-layer chromatography step was used for the preliminary purification of extracts, and the specificity of the assay was based on the monitoring of specific metastable decompositions in a forward geometry double-focussing mass spectrometer, in a manner analogous to conventional tandem mass spectrometry. This precluded the need for a gas chromatographic separation, thus minimizing thermal decomposition which can occur with these compounds, as well as enabling very rapid analyses.
mesh_terms: D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D004355:Drug Stability; D006801:Humans; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008745:Methylation; D010615:Phenacetin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: C008068:N-hydroxyphenacetin; D010615:Phenacetin