Application of open tubular electrochromatography for acidic and basic analytes

Summary The separation of charged analytes by electrochromatography has been examined on porous-layer open tubular capillaries prepared using the sol gel method. An electroosmotic flow of about 2.10×10⁴ cm²V¹s¹ was obtained using between 10 and 30% acetonitrile in the mobile phase. Acidic diuretic drug compounds were successfully separated at high pH as were theN-alkylanilines in their basic and neutral forms. The limitation of open tubular columns was observed on separating some basic pharmaceutical drugs. These components showed severe peak tailing and were not resolved on a 20 μm i.d. porous silica layer open tubular column. Strongly acidic components could not be detected on these columns due to their higher counter electromobilities. The successful separation of neutral aryl alkyl ketones with an efficiency of 101,533 plates m¹ for butyrophenone was an indication of the improved phase ratio on this type of open tubular columns.     

Effects of Light Intensity on the Growth and Lipid Accumulation of Microalga <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scenedesmus</Emphasis> sp. 11-1 Under Nitrogen Limitation

Scenedesmus spp. have been reported as potential microalgal species used for the lipid production. This study investigated the effects of light intensity (at three levels: 50, 250, and 400 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹) on the growth and lipid production of Scenedesmus sp. 11-1 under N-limited condition. Carotenoid to chlorophyll ratio was higher when algae 11-1 grew under 250 and 400 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ than that under 50 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹, while protein contents was lower. Highest biomass yield (3.88 g L⁻¹), lipid content (41.1 %), and neutral lipid content (32.9 %) were achieved when algae 11-1 grew at 400 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹. Lipid production was slight lower at 250 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ level compared to 400 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹. The major fatty acids in the neutral lipid of 11-1 were oleic acid (43–52 %), palmitic acid (24–27 %), and linoleic acid (7–11 %). In addition, polyunsaturated fatty acids had a positive correlation with total lipid production, and monounsaturated fatty acids had a negative one.     

Potentiometric Study of the Effect of Sodium Dodecylsulfate and Dioxane on the Hydrolysis of the Aluminum(III) Ion

Hydrolytic equilibria of the aluminum(III) ion were studied in the presence of a surfactant, sodium n-dodecylsulfate (SDS) and, separately, in mixed water + dioxane and water + dioxane + surfactant media at 298.15 K, by using potentiometric measurements with a glass electrode. The concentration of SDS was between 1.25 and 25.0 mmol-dm⁻³, whereas the volume percent of dioxane was varied from 10 to 50. The supporting strong electrolyte was 0.1 mol-dm⁻³ LiCl. A general least-squares treatment of the data indicates the formation of mononuclear hydrolytic complexes of the form Al(OH)_m^{3 − m} (m = 1–3) at all studied compositions. At lower concentrations of SDS (≤ 12.5 mmol-dm⁻³) it was necessary to include polynuclear hydrolytic complexes in the hydrolytic model. On increasing the concentration of SDS, the formation of polynuclear complexes is suppressed, and at the SDS concentration of 25.0 mmol-dm⁻³, only Al(OH)²⁺ and Al(OH)₂⁺ are observed in solution. At lower volume percentages of dioxane, the speciation involved polynuclear complexes in addition to mononuclear complexes. At dioxane concentrations higher than 20 vol% only mononuclear complexes are formed. The simultaneous presence of the SDS and dioxane as ionic medium modifiers produces only the mononuclear complexes Al(OH)²⁺ and Al(OH)₂⁺, which have significantly higher stability constants than in the pure ionic medium.     

The analysis of pharmaceutical bases on a silica stationary phase by capillary electrochromatography using aqueous mobile phases

Summary The capillary electrochromatographic (CEC) separation of a range of pharmaceutical bases was investigated on a commercially available silica stationary phase using aqueous mobile phases. The effects of mobile phase composition, buffer pH, applied voltage, and buffer anion on the retention behaviour of these bases were studied. Promising chromatography was obtained at pH 7.8 but was later found to be irreproducible. However, successful and reproducible chromatography of the bases was achieved at pH 2.3. We have previously demonstrated that the addition of mobile phase additives such as TEA-phosphate at low pH values has resulted in excellent CEC analysis of bases on reversed-phase packing materials. The same approach was applied to the analysis of bases on the silica phase in order to improve peak shape. Excellent chromatography was obtained for the analysis of strong pharmaceutical bases such as benzylamine, nortriptyline and diphenhydramine. The experimental investigations have shown that the CEC separation of a range of pharmaceutical bases can routinely be achieved with excellent peak shapes and peak efficiencies as high as 320,000 plates m⁻¹.     

Determination of rutin and forsythin in fruit ofForsythia suspensa(Thunb.) Vahl by capillary electrophoresis-electrochemical detection

Summary Capillary electrophoresis-amperometric detection is evaluated for simultaneous determination of rutin and forsythin. The cyclic voltammogram, hydrodynamic voltammogram, effect of pH, buffer concentration and SDS, and percent organic modifier on separation and detection were studied. Conditions were optimized as follows: 1.2 V detection potential; separation at 12 kV; 5 s at 15 kV for sample injection time and sample injection voltage; mobile phase 20 mM boric acid buffer; pH 8.4, containing 40 mM SDS and 10% (v/v) acetontrile. The method gave low detection limit as 0.001 mg mL⁻¹ and 0.0005 mg mL⁻¹ (S/N=3), wide linear range 0.005–0.5 mg mL⁻¹ for rutin and forsythin, respectively. The relative standard deviations of peak current and migration time for 8 consecutive injections of the standard solution containing 0.1 mg mL⁻¹ each compound were 4.78%, 3.63% and 6.40%, 2.95% for rutin and forsythin, respectively. In addition, levels of the two compounds in traditional Chinese herbal drugs were easily determined.     

Preparation and Evaluation of 3,5-Dinitrobenzoyl-Bonded Silica Gel Stationary Phase for HPLC

Column packing materials are always a key factor influencing the development of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In this paper, a new preparation method of 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl-bonded silica gel stationary phase (DNB) for HPLC was developed by using N-(β-aminoethyl)-γ-aminopropyl-methyldimethoxy silane as coupling reagent. Its structure was characterized by elemental analysis, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, and thermal analysis. The surface concentration of 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl ligand is 2.082 μmol m⁻², according to the carbon content of elemental analysis. The chromatographic performance of new packing was evaluated by using different solute probes, such as alkylbenzenes, polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenols, naphthalene derivatives, nitrophenol positional isomers, and sulfonamides. The results show that DNB was of the reversed-phase packing kind with weak hydrophobicity and versatile chromatographic property compared with octadecyl silane. The charge transfer between the dinitrobenzoyl ligand and the analytes plays a significant role in the separation of phenols and naphthalene derivatives. In addition, electrostatic, hydrogen-bonding, and dipole-dipole interactions are responsible for the above separations, which improve the selectivity of DNB for solutes. An advantage of DNB is that it is suitable for the separation of the basic compounds containing nitrogen atoms without a capped process because the spacer containing nitrogen atoms can shield the residual silanols from DNB. Translated from Chinese Journal of Chromatography, 2005, 23(3) (in Chinese)     

Synthesis of polymers containing azo groups in the main chain from <Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis>-phenylenediamine: Study of doping

Synthesic approach to polymers containing azo groups was developed on the basis of diazotization and azo-coupling reaction of m-phenylenediamine (m-PDA) with various ratio m-phenylenediamine-sodium nitrite. Doping of poly(azoaminophenylenes) with iodine, perchloric and hydrochloric acids was examined. Electroconductivity increases in the case of iodine to 0.2 S mol⁻¹, of perchloric acid, to 7×10⁻³ S mol⁻¹, and at the action of hydrogen chloride it is virtually unaffected. According to the ESR spectra, at the doping with iodine and perchloric acid electroconductivity enhances generally due to the mobility increase of the charge carriers (polarons).     

Preparation of a neutral porous monolith and its evaluation in pressurized capillary electrochromatography with neutral and charged solutes

A neutral, nonpolar monolithic capillary column was evaluated as a hydrophobic stationary phase in pressurized CEC system for neutral, acidic and basic solutes. The monolith was prepared by in situ copolymerization of octadecyl methacrylate and ethylene dimethacrylate in a binary porogenic solvent consisting of cyclohexanol/1,4‐butanediol. EOF in this hydrophobic monolithic column was poor; even the pH value of the mobile phase was high. Because of the absence of fixed charges, the monolithic capillary column was free of electrostatic interactions with charged solutes. Separations of neutral solutes were based on the hydrophobic mechanism with the pressure as the driving force. The acidic and basic solutes were separated under pressurized CEC mode with the pressure and electrophoretic mobility as the driving force. The separation selectivity of charged solutes were based on their differences in electrophoretic mobility and hydrophobic interaction with the stationary phase, and no obvious peak tailing for basic analytes was observed. Effects of the mobile phase compositions on the retention of acidic compounds were also investigated. Under optimized conditions, high plate counts reaching 82 000 plates/m for neutral compounds, 134 000 plates/m for acid compounds and 150 000 plates/m for basic compounds were readily obtained.     

Application of co-electroosmotic capillary electrophoresis for the determination of inorganic anions and carboxylic acids in soil and plant extract with direct UV detection

Summary Indirect UV detection in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) is frequently used for the determination of inorganic anions and carboxylic acids. However, there are few reports on direct UV detection of these solutes in real samples. This paper describes the use of direct UV detection of inorganic anions and organic acids in environmental samples using co-electroosmotic capillary zone electrophoresis (co-CZE) at 185 nm. The best separation and detection of the solutes was achieved using a fused silica capillary with an electrolyte containing 25 mM phosphate, 0.5 mM tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) and 15% acetonitrile (v/v) at pH 6.0. Four common inorganic anions (Cl⁻, NO₂ ⁻, NO₃ ⁻ and SO₄ ²⁻) and 11 organic acids (oxalic, formic, fumaric, tartaric, malonic, malic, citric, succinic, maleic, acetic, and lactic acid), were determined simultaneously in 15 min. Linear calibration plots for the test solutes were obtained in the range 0.02–0.5 mM with detection limits ranging from 1–9 μM depending on the analyte. The proposed method was successfully used to determine inorganic anions and carboxylic acids in soil and plant tissue extracts with direct injection of the sample.     

A weak cation-exchange phase for the separation of biogenic amines by open tubular liquid chromatography

Summary The preparation and performance of a weak cation-exchange stationary phase for Open Tubular Liquid Chromatography (OT-LC) was investigated. The stationary phase was prepared in 5.4 μm I.D. fused silica capillaries byin situ photopolymerization of a mixture of silicon acrylate and acrylic acid. The influence of pH, counter ion concentration and organic modifier concentration of the mobile phase on the retention was studied with catecholamines as test solutes using LIF detection. Other biological amines like amino acids, small peptides and nucleic acid derivatives could be separated on this stationary phase as well. The kinetic performance of the stationary phase was studied with several cations and neutral solutes.     

Separation of chiral pharmaceuticals using ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography

Summary Ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography was demonstrated for fast and efficient chiral separations. Capillary columns approximately 13–24 cm in length packed with nonporous 1.0μm C₆-modified silical particles were used. β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD) and 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) were added to the mobile phase as modifiers to produce transient diastereomeric complexes with the analytes. Pressures up to ≈42,000 psi were applied, and efficiencies in excess of 200,000 plates m⁻¹ were obtained for separations that were accomplished in less than 2 minutes.     

Chiral separation of amide conjugates of jasmonic acid by liquid chromatography

Summary Synthetic amide conjugates of (−)-jasmonic acid and its (+)-enantiomer were resolved by means of chiral liquid chromatography. The diastereomeric pairs prepared by chemical reaction of (±)-jasmonic acid with a series of (S)- or (R)-amino acids and with some (S)-amino acid alcohols were completely separated on Chiralpak AS using a mixture of n-hexane/2-propanal as mobile phase. The retention data indicate that the (−)-jasmonic acid conjugates eluted faster than those of the (+)-enantiomer, independent on the configuration of the bound amino acid. Likewise, enantiomeric derivatives of (±)-jasmonic acid and non-chiral amino acids were completely separated on the chiral stationary phase and showed the same elution sequence. The resolution factors,Rs, were found to range between 1.13 and 6.64. The separated compounds were chiropatically analyzed by measurement of the circular dichroism. Presented at the 21^st ISC held in Stuttgart, Germany, 15^th–20^th September, 1996     

Synthesis of porous titaniaspheres for HPLC by polymerization-induced colloid aggregation (PICA) using <Emphasis Type="Italic">tert-n</Emphasis>-butyl titanate

Porous titanic microspheres with a very narrow particle size distribution (PSD) which are useful as chromatographic packing materials for high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), were synthesized by an improved process of polymerization-induced colloid aggregation method using tert-n -butyl titanate. Porous titania particles obtained after polymer combustion and sintering of the aggregates are 3.5 μm in diameter with a surface area of 9.6 m² g⁻¹ and an average pore diameter of 18.9 nm. The particles are strong enough to withstand the high packing pressure for a HPLC column. The article is published in the original.     

Simultaneous RP-LC Determination of Losartan Potassium, Ramipril, and Hydrochlorothiazide in Pharmaceutical Preparations

A simple, rapid, and precise reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for simultaneous determination of losartan potassium, ramipril, and hydrochlorothiazide. The three drugs were separated on a 150 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm particle, Cosmosil C₁₈ column. The mobile phase was 0.025 m sodium perchlorate–acetonitrile, 62:38 (v/v), containing 0.1% heptanesulphonic acid, pH adjusted to 2.85 with orthophosphoric acid, at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹. UV detection was performed at 215 nm. The method was validated for linearity, accuracy, precision, and limit of quantitation. Linearity, accuracy, and precision were acceptable in the ranges 35–65 μg mL⁻¹ for losartan, 1.75–3.25 μg mL⁻¹ for ramipril, and 8.75–16.25 μg mL⁻¹ for hydrochlorothiazide.     

Separation of Organomercury Species Using Nonaqueous Capillary Electrophoresis Coupled with Sample Stacking and Electrokinetic Injection Techniques

A nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) method, 30 mM ammonium acetate in methanol as background electrolyte (BGE), was developed for separation of the organomercury species without complexing reagents. The effects of different solutes and solvents in BGE were studied. Three species of organomercury, methylmercury, ethylmercury and phenylmercury, were separated well and all the number of theoretical plates were over 10⁶. The present NACE method was also coupled with sample stacking and electrokinetic injection techniques to enhance the detection sensitivity. Under the optimum conditions, the limit of detection (S/N = 3) is 18 ng mL⁻¹ and the linear relation range from 40 to 750 ng mL⁻¹ were obtained for methylmercury.     

Volume properties of solutions of oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids in n-hexane and n-heptane at 298.15 K

Densities of solutions of oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids in n-hexane and n-heptane were measured using a vibrating-tube densimeter at 298.15 K in a concentration range of 0–0.012 molar fractions of solute. The measurement error does not exceed ±5·10⁻⁶ g cm⁻³. The limiting partial molar volumes of fatty acids of the studied series in n-hexane and n-heptane and the excess volume properties of binary mixtures were calculated. On going from oleic to linolenic acid, the number of double bonds (>C=C<) in a solute molecule increases, the hydrocarbon chain length in a solvent molecule decreases, and compactness of the structure packing of the resulting solution increases. This is caused, as a whole, by the enhancement of the n-alkane—acid intermolecular interaction. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 643–647, April, 2006.     

Submicellar and micellar reversed-phase liquid chromatographic modes applied to the separation of β-blockers

The behaviour of a reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (RPLC) system (i.e. elution order, resolution and analysis time), used in the analysis of β-blockers with acetonitrile–water mobile phases, changes drastically upon addition of an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulphate, SDS). Surfactant monomers cover the alkyl-bonded phase in different extent depending on the concentration of both modifiers, in the ranges 1 × 10⁻³–0.15 M SDS and 5–50% acetonitrile. Meanwhile, the surfactant is dissolved in the mobile phase as free monomers, associated in small clusters or forming micelles. Four characteristic RPLC modes are yielded, with transition regions between them: hydro-organic, micellar, and low and high submicellar. The mobile phases in the two latter modes contain a concentration of SDS below or well above the critical micellar concentration (CMC) in water (i.e. 8 × 10⁻³ M), and more than 30% acetonitrile. High submicellar RPLC appeared as the most promising mode, as it allowed full resolution of the β-blockers in practical times, while these were unresolved or highly retained in the other RPLC modes. The strong attraction of the cationic solutes to the anionic SDS makes a direct transfer mechanism between surfactant molecules in the stationary and mobile phases likely.     

Monitoring formation of poly(neutral red) film by EQCM

An electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) is employed for monitoring the growth of poly(neutral red) films on platinum in the electrolytic solution containing 5.0 mmol dm⁻³ neutral red, 0.3 mol dm⁻³ H₂SO₄, and 0.5 mol dm⁻³ Na₂SO₄. The in situ measurement of the frequency changes of the EQCM reveals that both the adsorption/desorption of neutral red and the formation of poly(neutral red) film can be observed together with anion sorption/desorption during the redox transformation of the polymer, and that the polymerization rate of neutral red increases slowly before the 11th cycle and then increases quickly with increasing number of potential cycles. Published in Russian in Elektrokhimiya, 2007, Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 284–289. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Determination of Steroids in Human Urine by Micellar Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

A simple and sensitive method for the determination of steroids using micellar liquid chromatography is described. The steroids, including hydroxycorticosterone. corticosterone, northisterone, testosterone, mexdroprogesterone acetate and progesterone, were separated by reversed-phase using a micelles mobile phase following UV detection at 245 nm. The parameters affecting retention of the test solutes such as the concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and n-butanol-1 in the mobile phase were investigated. It was found that the retention of the solutes was dependent on the composition of mobile phase. The linear calibration plots range from 0.1 to 10 μg ml^?1 in mobile phase containing 5.0 × 10^?2 mol l^?1 SDS/9 % n-butanol-1 at pH 6.0, and the detection limit in order of 0.1 μg ml^?1 was obtained. The proposed method was used for the determination of steroids in urine using direct injection of samples without previous treatment.     

Simultaneous determination of azelaic and benzoic acids in topical preparations by liquid chromatography

Summary An isocratic, reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (LC) method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of azelaic and benzoic acids in pharmaceutical creams. The compounds were separated on a C₁₈ column (4 μm particles); the mobile phase was methanolwater, 40∶60, containing 10mm ammonium acetate and with the pH adjusted to 5.0. Detection was performed at 220 nm. The method was validated for accuracy, linearity, precision, and selectivity. Recoveries at levels corresponding to 80% to 120% of the declared content of the creams ranged from 99.5 to 101.8% and from 100.4 to 102.1% for azelaic and benzoic acids, respectively. The calibration graphs were linear in the ranges 20–1400 μg mL⁻¹ for azelaic acid (correlation coefficient,r ₁>0.99999), and 0.1–7.0 μg mL⁻¹ for benzoic acid (r>0.99998).