Alumina is commonly used for the purification and concentration of catecholamines in biological specimens before analysis. Acid eluates of alumina, found to contain high concentrations of A13+, interfered with O-methylation but not with N-methylation. The chemistry of the catecholamines, supported by kinetic studies, suggest that complex formation between aluminium and the substrate account for the observed inhibition of O-methylation. The addition of desferrioxamine, a metal-chelating agent, to the reaction mixture reversed this inhibition and, by allowing a preliminary alumina extraction, permits the measurement of low concentrations of catecholamines in biological samples.
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