A simple and selective gas chromatographic method was established for determining naturally occurring secondary amines. Secondary amines separated from foods by extraction with dichloromethane and reextraction with hydrochloric acid were readily converted into the corresponding sulfonamides by reaction with benzenesulfonyl chloride under alkaline condition. Gas chromatography was carried out with a capillary coated with OV-101 and a flame photometric detector. Column temperature was programmed from 170 to 230°C at a rate of 5°C/min.
The obtained sulfonamides were separated from one another within 40 min.
Eleven secondary amines examined were added to 5 kinds of foods and recovered from them. The mean recovery rates were in the range 71.3 % (dimethylamine)-99.8 % (piperidine).
The limits of detection varied from 0.002 ppm (dimethylamine) to 0.01 ppm (morpholine).

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