Facile Oxime Ether Synthesis: Free Carbonyl Compound Derivatization by a Brominated O-Benzylhydroxylamine

The lipid peroxidation of fatty acids leads to secondary products, among which several carbonyl compounds are of concern in food toxicology. The detection of these reactive aldehydes for identification and evaluation is required. Derivatization is necessary to improve their stability and detection in liquid chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC/HRMS) trace analyses. Therefore, a brominated O-benzylhydroxylamine, namely 1-((ammoniooxy)methyl)-2-bromobenzene chloride, was selected as a new probe for the mild and selective derivatization of carbonyl compounds. New oxime ethers were thus synthesized under mild reaction and workup conditions, with full analytical characterization. The relevance of the chemical reaction was assessed with nine aldehydes, especially conjugated and deuterium-labeled aldehydes, and two ketones. Virtually, the reaction should be applicable to a large set of carbonyl compounds for derivatization in complex biological samples and selective detection of the in situ–synthesized brominated oxime ethers by LC/HRMS methodology.