Pressurized capillary electrochromatographic analysis of water-soluble vitamins by combining with on-line concentration technique

A pressurized capillary electrochromatography (pCEC) system was developed for the separation of water-soluble vitamins, in which UV absorbance was used as the detection method and a monolithic silica-ODS column as the separation column. The parameters (type and content of organic solvent in the mobile phase, type and concentration of electrolyte, pH of the electrolyte buffer, applied voltage and flow rate) affecting the separation resolution were evaluated. The combination of two on-line concentration techniques, namely, solvent gradient zone sharpening effect and field-enhanced sample stacking, was utilized to improve detection sensitivity, which proved to be beneficial to enhance the detection sensitivity by enabling the injection of large volumes of samples. Coupling electrokinetic injection with the on-line concentration techniques was much more beneficial for the concentration of positively charged vitamins. Comparing with the conventional injection mode, the enhancement in the detection sensitivities of water-soluble vitamins using the on-line concentration technique is in the range of 3 to 35-fold. The developed pCEC method was applied to evaluate water-soluble vitamins in corns.     

Concentration and determination of cotinine in serum by cation-selective exhaustive injection and sweeping micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), combined with on-line concentration techniques, cation-selective exhaustive injection (CSEI) and sweeping, was developed for the analysis of cotinine, the primary biomarker for exposure to secondhand smoke. Experimental parameters including sample matrix, surfactant concentration, injection length and concentration of high-conductivity buffer, and sample electrokinetic injection time were optimized for electrophoretic enrichment and separation processes. Under the optimal conditions, the detection sensitivity of cotinine was enhanced by about 5000-fold using CSEI-sweeping MEKC compared to normal MEKC. The limit of detection for cotinine was found to be 0.2 ng/mL using ultraviolet absorbance detection. Furthermore, the developed method was successfully applied to the detection of cotinine in mouse serum samples.     

Splitless on-line coupling of capillary high-performance liquid chromatography,capillary electrochromatography and pressurized capillary electrochromatography with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

A mixture of unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters was separated with a new splitless capillary set-up. With the employed apparatus configuration different capillary separation techniques such as capillary high-performance liquid chromatography (cHPLC), capillary electrochromatography (CEC) and pressurized capillary electrochromatography (pCEC) could be applied. The detection and identification of the sample compounds were accomplished by hyphenating these capillary separation techniques with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy using a novel configuration of the detection capillary set-up. Using modified electrokinetically driven separation techniques, the electric field was applied solely across the separation column. With this improved interface for capillary liquid chromatography-NMR on-line coupling, the stereochemical assignment of the cis and trans configuration of unsaturated fatty acids could be easily accomplished. Finally, the results of cHPLC-NMR, CEC-NMR and pCEC-NMR coupling experiments were compared.Dedicated to Professor Günter Häfelinger on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

Pressure-assisted capillary electrochromatography with electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry based on silica-based monolithic column for rapid analysis of narcotics

A pressure-assisted CEC (pCEC) with ESI-MS based on silica-based monolithic column was developed for rapid analysis of narcotics. Combining the extremely high permeability and separation efficiency of silica-based monolithic column with the high selectivity and sensitivity of pCEC-ESI-MS, the developed system exhibited its prominent advantages in separation and detection. A systematic investigation of the pCEC separation and ESI-MS detection parameters was performed. Experiment results showed that the optimized separation efficiency could be obtained at 8 bar assisted pressure with 25 kV separation voltage, using the solution containing 65% ACN v/v and 20 mmol/L ammonium acetate with pH 6.0 as running buffer. 3 microL/min of sheath liquid was considered as the optimized flow rate since it could provide the maximum signal intensity. Under the optimum conditions, the tested five narcotics could be completely separated within 10 min with the detection limit in the range of 2.0-80 nmol/L. The proposed method has been successfully used for detection of narcotics in real urine samples.     

On-line concentration sample stacking coupled with water-in-oil microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography

This study describes for the first time, the ability of a normal stacking mode (NSM) on-line concentration step coupled with water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC), using six common penicillin antibiotics (oxacillin, penicillin V, penicillin G, nafcillin, ampicillin, and amoxicillin) as test analytes. Optimization of penicillin separation in the conventional W/O MEEKC system demonstrated that change in the type and concentration of the oil phase (1-butanol) and column temperature had a pronounced effect on the separation. With the subsequent development of the NSM coupled with W/O MEEKC, improved separation and detection sensitivities were observed when an organic solvent plug (1-propanol; 1.04 cm) was placed between the W/O microemulsion and the sample solutions. This could be attributed to the solution viscosity difference between the aqueous sample zone and the organic solvent plug causing the penicillin to be stacked in this 1-propanol plug. The optimal NSM W/O MEEKC provided about 12-fold increase in detection sensitivity compared with conventional sample injection (50 mbar, 3 s). Finally, this proposed method was successfully applied in the analyses of several food samples (porcine organs) spiked with penicillin.     

Off-Column Amperometric Detection for Pressurized Capillary Electrochromatography

A system enabling coupling of pressurized capillary electrochromatography (pCEC) with off-column amperometric detection (AD) is reported in which conduction of the current in pCEC was achieved through a cellulose acetate-coated porous polymer joint, and the effect of the high-voltage field applied to pCEC for AD was also eliminated. Effects of supplementary pressure on the porous polymer joint and the effects on AD of capillary columns of different i.d. were investigated. The performance of the pCEC–AD system with the porous polymer joint was evaluated with phenol and hydroquinone using sulfonated stearyl methacrylate monolithic columns. The separation efficiency of the column in pCEC–AD, using the proposed off-column detection with the cellulose acetate membrane joint, was comparable with that of pCEC–UV using on-column detection. Compared with end-column detection using a 50 μm i.d. capillary column without a joint, a higher signal-to-noise ratio was achieved, even using a 100 μm i.d. capillary column with a joint. Successful separation and detection of dopamine and epinephrine were also achieved by use of this system.     

基于在线富集与原位衍生技术的植物组织中内源性油菜素甾醇的超高效液相色谱-串联质谱分析方法

油菜素甾醇是一类重要的植物激素,对植物的生长发育过程起显著调节作用。已报道的油菜素甾醇分析方法存在样品前处理过程复杂和灵敏度低等问题。本研究采用C18 PEEK管填充柱为富集柱,以4-N,N-二甲氨基苯硼酸为衍生试剂,搭建了基于双泵-双六通阀的在线管内固相微萃取-超高效液相色谱-串联质谱（UPLC-MS/MS）联用系统,对油菜素甾醇进行在线富集和原位衍生,实现植物组织中内源性油菜素甾醇的自动化分析。该系统程序化地控制了油菜素甾醇的进样、萃取、衍生、分离和检测过程,有效简化前处理过程,节省人力;在线富集步骤实现了样品溶液大体积进样,提高样品利用率;原位衍生改善了油菜素甾醇电喷雾的离子化效率,使油菜素甾醇的电喷雾质谱检出限降低至pg/mL。该系统可在300 mg鲜重植物组织中检测到内源性油菜素甾醇,已成功用于水稻、油菜中多种油菜素甾醇的定量分析。     

Pressurized capillary electrochromatography in a screening for possible antioxidant molecules in Mallotus fingerprints: challenges, potentials and prospects

Because of its eminent high resolution potential and minimal solvent consumption, pressurized capillary electrochromatography (pCEC) may offer an interesting alternative to HPLC for screening applications that need to resolve complex samples. In this paper, its potential was assessed in a screening of plant extracts from Mallotus species to indicate compounds with possible antioxidant activities by means of a PLS model built from their pCEC fingerprints. The main aim of this research was to find out whether pCEC can have an added value for this application. To get a complete overview of the techniques potential for this application, it was also assessed whether the technique can meet the requirements in terms of precision, sensitivity and column robustness. Encountered benefits and downsides were reported. Fingerprints with satisfactory sensitivity and precision could be obtained by concentrating the sample 5-fold and using optimized rinsing procedures, respectively. From the generated pCEC fingerprints of 39 Mallotus samples and their respective DPPH radical scavenging activity test results, a three-component PLS model was being built. The model proved good predictive abilities and easily allowed the indication of possible antioxidant compounds in the fingerprints. Despite its much higher peak capacity, the performance of pCEC to fingerprint the majority of the Mallotus extracts did not surpass that of a custom HPLC method. This was also reflected in its comparable power to indicate possible antioxidant compounds in the fingerprints after modeling. Because of its low detection sensitivity and modest column robustness, the benefit of the lower solvent consumption was partly paid-off by the current need for more system maintenance, also limiting the sample throughput. For the considered screening application, pCEC may suit as a viable but no preferred alternative technique.     

On-line concentration of proteins in pressurized capillary electrochromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

Pressurized capillary electrochromatography (pCEC) and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) have been hyphenated for protein analysis. Taken cytochrome c, lysozyme, and insulin as samples, the limits of detection (LODs) for absolute concentrations are 10(-11) mol (signal-to-noise ratio S/N = 3) with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of retention time and peak area, respectively, of less than 1.7% and 4.8%. In order to improve the detection sensitivity, on-line concentration by field-enhanced sample-stacking effect and chromatographic zone-sharpening effect has been developed, and parameters affecting separation and detection, such as pH and electrolyte concentration in the mobile phase, separation voltage, as well as enrichment voltage and time, have been studied systematically. Under the optimized conditions, the LODs of the three proteins could be decreased up to 100-fold. In addition, the feasibility of such techniques has been further demonstrated by the analysis of modified insulins at a concentration of 20 microg/mL.     

Quantification of domoic acid in shellfish tissues by pressurized capillary electrochromatography

A method was developed to quantify domoic acid (DA), the chemical responsible for amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP), by pressurized CEC (pCEC). The effect of different experimental conditions on the separation of DA and matrix solutes, such as the content of ACN in mobile phase, pH and concentration of buffer, supplementary pressure and applied voltage, were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the pCEC method separated DA from shellfish matrices within 6 min. By using supplementary pressure, bubble formation in the capillary column was completely suppressed. The method was repeatable, sufficient accurate and sensitive for rapid screening of DA in shell seafood.     

On-line coupling of pressurized capillary electrochromatography with end-column amperometric detection for analysis of estrogens

An improved technique, pressurized capillary electrochromatography (pCEC) coupling with end-column amperometric detection (AD), was developed and used for the separation and determination of estrogens. The effects of pH value, composition of mobile phase, concentration of the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and applied voltage on separation were investigated. The electrochemical oxidation of diethylstilbestrol (DES), dienestrol (DE), and hexestrol (HEX) could be reliably monitored with a carbon electrode at 0.9 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). The pCEC analyses were performed on a capillary separation column packed with 3 microm C18 particles with an acetonitrile/water (31%: 69%) mobile phase containing Tris buffer (5 mmol/L, pH 4.5) and 4 mmol/L SDS. High voltage up to 12 kV reduced the retention time dramatically and still provided a baseline resolution. In addition, supplementary pressure prevented bubble formation and provided reliability and reproducibility of the pCEC performance. The detection limits for the three estrogens ranged from 1.2 to 2.2x10(-7) mol/L, about 10 20-fold lower than those obtained with pCEC-UV detection. To evaluate the feasibility and reliability of this system, the proposed pCEC-AD method was further demonstrated with fish muscle samples spiked with estrogens.     

Analysis of urinary metabolites for metabolomic study by pressurized CEC

A new approach for the metabolomic study of urinary samples using pressurized CEC (pCEC) with gradient elution is proposed as an alternative chromatographic separation tool with higher degree of resolution, selectivity, sensitivity, and efficiency. The pCEC separation of urinary samples was performed on a RP column packed with C(18), 5 microm particles with an ACN/water mobile phase containing TFA. The effects of the acid modifiers, applied voltage, mobile phase, and detection wavelength were systematically evaluated using eight spiked standards, as well as urine samples. A typical analytical trial of urine samples from Sprague Dawley (S.D.) rats exposed to high-energy diet was carried out following sample pretreatment. Significant differences in urinary metabolic profiles were observed between the high energy diet-induced obesity rats and the healthy control rats at the 6th wk postdose. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed the differential metabolites in response to the diet, which were partially validated with the putative standards. This work suggests that such a pCEC-based separation and analysis method may provide a new and cost-effective platform for metabolomic study uniquely positioned between the conventional chromatographic tools such as HPLC, and hyphenated analytical techniques such as LC-MS.     

Comparison of different setups for one- and two-dimensional capillary high-performance liquid chromatography and pressurized capillary electrochromatography coupled on-line with mass spectrometry

A comparison of different separation methods (high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), capillary HPLC (CHPLC) and pressurized capillary electrochromatography (pCEC)) coupled on-line with mass spectrometry (MS) is undertaken using the separation of a crude extract of ergot fungus (secalis cornuti) as an example. New and simple setups for a two-dimensional CHPLC coupled on-line with electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS (2D-CHPLC-MS) as well as for capillary size-exclusion chromatography performed under pCEC conditions and coupled on-line with ESI-MS (CSEC-pCEC-MS) are shown. In addition, an improved method for column packing is presented.     

On-line stacking techniques for the nonaqueous capillary electrophoretic determination of acrylamide in processed food

In the present study, field amplified sample stacking (FASS) techniques in the nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis method (NACE) were introduced for the on-line concentration of the acrylamide to improve acrylamide detection at 210 nm by diode-array detection. Acetonitrile (ACN) as a nonaqueous solvent permits acrylamide to be protonated through the change of its acid-base chemistry, allowing capillary electrophoretic separation of this compound. Choosing 30 mmol L(-1) HClO(4), 20 mmol L(-1) NaClO(4), 218 mmol L(-1) CH(3)COOH in ACN as the separation electrolyte and employing sample stacking methods, the LOD value of acrylamide was decreased to 2.6 ng mL(-1) with electrokinetic injection and 4.4 ng mL(-1) with hydrodynamic injection. Optimized stacking conditions were applied to the determination of acrylamide in several foodstuffs. The method is simple, rapid, inexpensive, and widely applicable for the determination of acrylamide in food samples.     

Separation of structurally related estrogens using isocratic elution pressurized capillary electrochromatography

In this paper, the pressurized capillary electrochromatography (pCEC) with UV detection was utilized for the separation and determination of three structurally related estrogens, such as diethylstilbestrol (DES), hexestrol (HEX) and dienestrol (DE), which were difficult to be separated by capillary electrophoresis (CE) and HPLC due to their similarity in the structure and charge-to-mass ratios. Experiments were carried out in a commercially available pCEC instrument using a capillary column packed with 3 microm octadecyl silica (ODS). Surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was introduced in the mobile phase to enhance the speed of analysis. The effective factors on the retention time and separation resolution, such as the applied voltage, supplementary pressure, the pH and the concentration of the buffer solution, the concentration of SDS, and the content of acetonitrile in the mobile phase, were evaluated. Based on the investigation, 31% (v/v) acetonitrile and 69% (v/v) of 10 mmol/L phosphate buffer (pH 6.5) containing 1.0 mmol/L SDS at an applied voltage of -12 kV and a supplementary pressure of 1000 psi were found to be the optimal conditions for pCEC to separate the three estrogens. The method also had been applied to the analysis of fish muscle samples spiked with estrogens.     

Analysis of ecdysteroids by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with on-line preconcentration

In order to enhance the UV detection sensitivity, an application study of an on-line preconcentration technique for micellar electrokinetic chromatographic (MEKC) was carried out. The simultaneous determination of four test ecdysteroids, 20-hydroxyecdysone, ajugasterone C, polypodine B and ponasterone A has been investigated by using the normal stacking mode in MEKC with UV detection. The effects of anionic surfactant composition and concentration, the applied voltage, the pH buffer, the kind and the amount of organic solvent and the injection time on the analyte resolution were evaluated. The optimised conditions for the separation involved the use of a 50 mM borate as the running buffer containing 50 mM of a mixture of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and sodium cholate (SC) in the ratio of 1:1 together with a concentration of 10% (v/v) of 2-PrOH at pH 9.0. Hydrodynamic injection of 12 s at 50 mbar and separation voltage of 20 kV at temperature of 20 degrees C were employed. These conditions allowed a repeatability separation within 21 min. Concentration detection limit for the neutral analytes studied improve about an order of magnitude. The method was also applied to the determination of ecdysteroids in a real sample.     

On-line preconcentration,ion chromatographic separation and spectrophotometric determination of palladium at trace level

A new method for the determination of Pd by ion chromatography and spectrophotometric detection has been developed. The technique is based on the separation of palladium as PdCl4(2-) by anion exchange and on the detection, at a wavelength of 407 nm, of metal as PdI4(2-) after a post-column reaction with KI. The column used was an IonPac AS4 with HCl and HClO4 eluents. The eluent concentration and composition of post-column reagent were optimised in order to obtain the best separation and sensitivity for Pd. In order to reduce the detection limit, an on-line preconcentration step, has been optimised. The method, as developed, was suitable for palladium determination within a 300 ng/l D.L. value. The method applied to a BCR reference material (CRM 277, estuarine sediment) gave satisfactory results in agreement with the certified value within a D.L. value of 1.3 microg/l for the real sample.     

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with a sample deposition interface as a quantitative detector in size-exclusion chromatography

Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography was developed to analyze plant hormones including gibberellic acid, abscisic acid, indole-3-acetic acid, alpha-naphthaleneacetic acid, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, kinetin-6-furfurylaminopurine and N6-benzyladenine. The influences of some crucial parameters including buffer concentration, pH value, micelle concentration and applied voltage on electrophoretic separation were investigated. Under optimum conditions (50 mM borate as the running buffer containing 50 mM sodium dodecylsulfate, pH 8.0; separation voltage: -15 kV; injection: hydrodynamic injection, 5 s at 50 mbar; temperature: 25 degrees C), a complete separation of seven plant hormones was accomplished within 30 min. Emphasis was placed on improving detection sensitivity in order to detect small amounts of hormones in plant tissue. Multiple wavelength detection and expanded bubble cell capillary were used with enrichment factors of 2 and 3, respectively. In addition, an on-line concentration method of large volume sample stacking was designed. Enrichment factors of up to approximately 10-600 were achieved for these hormones with detection limits down to 0.306 ng/ml. The method was successfully applied to analyzing abscisic acid in flowers of transgenic tobacco.     

Field-amplified sample stacking in capillary electrophoresis for on-column concentration of alkaloids in Sophora flavescens Ait

A simple and rapid capillary zone electrophoresis method was developed for the separation of the main alkaloids from Sophora flavescens Ait. with the optimum buffer solution containing 110 mM NaH(2)PO(4) and 15% 2-propanol (pH 3.0). The field-amplified sample stacking (FASS) technique was applied to the on-line concentration of the alkaloids. The data presented in this work demonstrate that the use of a short water plug at the column inlet is essential for improving the reproducibility of FASS with electro-injection, and that the water plug injection time affected the sensitivity significantly. The sample concentration was further increased by about 2-3-fold by the introduction of a relatively longer water plug. With this stacking measure, the concentration sensitivity was about 3-4 orders of magnitude higher than in hydrodynamic injection.     

在线扫集-毛细管胶束电动色谱法对石榴与石榴叶中没食子酸含量的测定

建立了一种在线扫集-胶束电动色谱法测定没食子酸的新方法。考察了背景溶液pH值、十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)浓度、样品基体组成和进样时间对富集效果的影响。使用未涂层的毛细管柱(48.5 cm×75μmi.d.,有效柱长40 cm),pH9.0的20 mmol/L硼酸盐+50 mmol/LSDS为背景溶液,在紫外检测波长272 nm、运行电压18 kV的条件下,200 s内的富集倍数可达20倍。线性范围为0.62~10.30 mg/L(r=0.999),检出限(S/N=3)为0.08 mg/L,平均回收率为104%。没食子酸迁移时间和峰面积的相对标准偏差分别为1.2%和1.6%。方法快速、准确可靠、灵敏度高、重复性好,可检测石榴不同部位和石榴叶以及饮料中没食子酸的含量。