Recovery and analysis of peptides from thin layer cellulose

Methods are described which permit the recovery and analysis of peptides at the nanomole level in quantitative yield from cellulose thin layers. Although commercial celluloses are contaminated with significant levels of proteins which are not removed by washing and which interfere with amino acid analyses at the nanomole level, the methods described avoid these contaminants and permit amino acid analyses on the extracted peptides. The effect of reaction with ninhydrin or fluorescamine on the recovery of peptides is also described.