Determination of transition and rare earth elements in low-alloy steels as chelates with 4-(2-Thiazolylazo)resorcinol by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography

4-(2-Thiazolylazo)resorcinol (TAR) is used as a chelating reagent in the reversed-phase HPLC separation and determination of transition and rare earth elements in low-alloy steels. A precolumn derivatization method is used, followed by separation on an octadecyl-bonded silica stationary phase with a sodium octane-1-sulphonate-tartaric acid mobile phase. The eluted metal chelates are detected by uv-visible spectrophotometry. The requirements for sample preparation, characterization of precolumn derivatization and the optimum conditions for the sensitive detection of metal ions after liquid chromatography (LC) separation are discussed. The influence of the pH of the chelating medium and the eluent, the concentration of TAR and the eluent were investigated. The results are compared with those of other methods such as atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES).     

Separation of dansylated amino acid enantiomers by chiral ligand-exchange CE with a zinc(II) L-arginine complex as the selecting system

A facile chiral ligand-exchange capillary electrophoretic method has been explored for the enantioseparation and UV detection of dansyl-amino acids with Zn(II) L-arginine complex as a chiral selecting system. Successful enantioseparation of 17 pairs of amino acid enantiomers has been achieved with a buffer of 100 mM boric acid, 5 mM ammonium acetate, 3 mM ZnSO4 and 6 mM L-Arg at pH 8.0, of which 10 pairs were fully resolved with resolution in between 1.59 and 4.21. This new method was shown to be applicable to the separation of some mixed pairs of amino acids and to the quantitative analysis of some real samples such as rice vinegars, with a linear range between 0.8 and 150 microg/mL, correlation coefficient above 0.99 and recovery in between 90.1 and 112.4%. It was found that amino acids with low resistance side chain(s), low tendency to form intramolecular hydrogen bond or high tendency to form intermolecular hydrogen bonds are more easily enantioseparated than those with extra carboxyl and/or phenyl groups. By the use of the suggested buffer, the running pH should be selected at 7.4-9.0 to compromise the resolution and elution speed.     

Dynamic coating ion-interaction chromatographic separation of some trace impurities in oxygen-free electronic copper (OFEC) by pre-column chelation with 4-(2-thiazolylazo)resorcinol

Deleterious trace impurities like Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Bi and Pb in oxygen-free electronic copper (OFEC) were separated and determined by dynamic coating ion-interaction chromatography (IIC) with spectrophotometric detection using pre-column reaction methods. 4-(2-Thiazolylazo)resorcinol (TAR) was used as pre-column chelating agent. The requirements for sample preparation and the conditions for pre-column chelation reaction are discussed. The optimum conditions for the sensitive detection of these trace metal ions after ion-chromatographic separation are set. The ph of the chelating medium and the eluent, the concentration of TAR and the composition of the eluent were investigated. The detection limits achieved were 2.0, 2.8, 0.6, 0.8, 1.2, 2.6 and 3.0 ng for Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Bi and Pb, respectively. The results obtained by IIC methods compare well with those of graphite furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry and the certified values of Mur Bundy Hamil (MBH Analytical Ltd, U.K.).     

Determination of riboflavin, flavin mononucletide and flavin adenine dinucleotide in biological tissues by capillary zone electrophoresis and laser-induced fluorescence detection

The separation of riboflavin, flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide was investigated by capillary zone electrophoresis using laser-induced fluorescence detection. In the systematic approach developed, the differential electrophoretic mobilities were first maximized by adjusting the pH. Increasing the buffer concentration improved the separation at the expense of migration times. A buffer consisting of 50 mM phosphate adjusted to pH 8.5 was found to provide a very efficient and stable electrophoretic system. Responses were linear within the range 0.1-100 micromol L(-1), and the detection limits of B2 vitamers were 0.23 nmol L(-1) or less. The method was successfully applied to a variety of biological tissues from different animals.     

Microchip separations of transition metal ions via LED absorbance detection of their PAR complexes

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography was utilized in the electrophoretic separation of seven transition metal ions, colorimetrically complexed by 4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol (PAR) on a glass capillary electrophoresis microchip. Detection of the PAR metal chelates was demonstrated using a green light emitting diode (540 nm) and a miniature photomultiplier tube. Parameters investigated included the effect of buffer type, pH and surfactant concentration (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) on the separation efficiency. The optimally determined background electrolyte contained 10 mM ammonium phosphate buffer (pH 7.5), 1 mM PAR to prevent kinetic lability problems and 75 mM SDS for enhanced resolution. The separation of seven transition metal ions, Co2+, V3+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Mn2+ and Cd2+, was achievable in under 65 s, with the resolution of each metal ion in excess of 1.60. Detection limits obtained ranged from 400 ppb for Ni2+ to 1.2 ppm for Mn2+.     

Separating stereoisomers of di-, tri-, and tetrapeptides using capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection

The separation and detection of small oligopeptides in CE with contactless conductivity detection were demonstrated. A strongly acidic separation buffer (0.5 M acetic acid) was employed in order to render the species cationic. Separation of the stereoisomers was achieved in typically 10-15 min by using either dimethyl-beta-CD (DM-beta-CD), (+)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid (18C(6)H(4)), a combination of the two substances, or of histidine, as buffer additives. Calibration curves were determined for isomers of Gly-Asp and H-Pro-Asp-NH(2), in the range of 0.05-0.5 mM and 0.1-1 mM, respectively, and were found to be linear. LODs were determined to be in the order of 1.0 microM. The determination of isomeric impurities down to about 1% was found possible. Species showing good separation could also be successfully determined on an electrophoretic lab-on-chip device, with analysis times of a few minutes.     

Sample stacking by field-amplified sample injection and sweeping for simultaneous analysis of acidic and basic components in clinic application

In this study, online sample concentration method, which coupled field-amplified sample injection (FASI) and sweeping technology with micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), was used to detect and analyze acidic and basic components in a single run. In order to concentrate the acidic and basic components simultaneously in a single run sweeping step, a combination of successive anion- and cation-selective injections were used. Before sample loading, a rinse buffer containing 50 mM Tris buffer (pH 3) with 41% MeOH and 0.1% polyethylene oxide (PEO) was injected in order to suppress the electroosmotic flow (EOF). Sample loading of anionic components was achieved by electrokinetic injection at a negative voltage of -2.5 kV for 80 s, and then the cationic components were injected at a positive voltage of +5 kV for 120 s. Finally, sweeping with SDS micelles from the separation buffer (25 mM Tris buffer with 60 mM SDS, pH 3) was performed at a negative voltage of -20 kV. This capillary electrophoretic methodology was applied to the quantification of acidic and basic drugs in commercial tablets and in plasma samples. The precision and accuracy of the proposed method at different concentrations ranging from high, medium, to low were evaluated on spiked plasma samples. The intra and interday precision and accuracy values at three concentrations were all below 6.1%. The method was also successfully applied to monitor the tested drugs in the plasma of nine elderly cardiovascular and/or Alzheimer's disease patients after oral administration of the commercial products.     

Chiral capillary electrophoretic determination of the enantiomeric purity of homocamptothecin derivatives, promising antitumor topoisomerase I inhibitors, using highly sulfated CDs and fluorescence detection

EKC methods for the enantiomeric resolution of homocamptothecin derivatives, potent anticancer agents targeting DNA topoisomerase I selected for clinical trials, were developed using highly sulfated beta-CD as chiral selectors at acidic pH. Optimal electrophoretic conditions, with migration times under 15 min, were as follows: for the neutral homocamptothecin analog 1, a BGE of 75 mM phosphate buffer pH 2.5 (H(3)PO(4) + triethanolamine)/ACN - 95/5 v/v, with 7.5% w/v highly S-beta-CD, an applied field of 0.2 kV/cm and a fused capillary temperature control of 30 +/- 0.1 degrees C (typical current approximately 175 microA); for the cationic homocamptothecin 2, a BGE of 25 mM phosphate buffer pH 2.5 (H(3)PO(4) + TEA)/ACN - 90/10 v/v, with 2.5% w/v highly S-beta-CD, an applied field of 0.15 kV/cm and a fused capillary temperature control of 25 +/- 0.1 degrees C (typical current approximately 45 muA), and both are validated. The best results in terms of LOQ were obtained by EC with fluorescence detection: 10 ng/mL and 20 ng/mL for 1 and 2, respectively (LOQ divided by 150 for 1 and 5 for 2 with respect to UV), thus making this method particularly convenient for enantiomeric purity determination of galenic forms. UV detection appears to be an alternative to fluorescence for the analysis of the main component either for the control of galenic forms or for therapeutic adaptation. Moreover, this method exhibits better performances than HPLC.     

Development and optimization of a method for the analysis of low-molecular-mass organic acids in plants by capillary electrophoresis with indirect UV detection

Capillary zone electrophoresis was developed to analyze low-molecular-mass organic acids including oxalic, tartaric, formic, malic, citric, succinic, glutaric, acetic and lactic acid. The influences of some crucial parameters such as buffer concentration, pH value, surfactant concentration and separation temperature, on electrophoretic separation were investigated. Under the conditions of 15 mM phthalate containing 0.6 mM tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide as the run buffer (pH 5.6); separation voltage -15 kV (-263.2 V/cm) and temperature 25 degrees C, a satisfactory separation of nine organic acids was accomplished within 7 min. The detection limits (S/N=3) ranged from 0.008 to 0.08 microg/ml and the quantification limits ranged from 0.01 to 0.1 microg/ml for electrokinetic injection. The method was successfully applied to analyze organic acids in different parts of Var splendens (an edible vegetable in China). The recoveries of organic acids in real samples ranged from 88 to 121%.     

Chiral CE of aromatic amino acids by ligand-exchange with zinc(II)-L-lysine complex

A novel method of chiral ligand-exchange CE was developed with either L- or D-lysine (Lys) as a chiral ligand and zinc(II) as a central ion. This type of chiral complexes was explored for the first time to efficiently separate either individual pairs of or mixed aromatic amino acid enantiomers. Using a running buffer of 5 mM ammonium acetate, 100 mM boric acid, 3 mM ZnSO(4) x 7H(2)O and 6 mM L-Lys at pH 7.6, unlabeled D,L-tryptophan, D,L-phenylalanine, and D,L-tyrosine were well separated, giving a chiral resolution of up to 7.09. The best separation was obtained at a Lys-to-zinc ratio of 2:1, zinc concentration of 2-4 mM and running buffer pH 7.6. The buffer pH was determined to have a strong influence on resolution, while buffer composition and concentration impacted on both the resolution and peak shape. Boric acid with some ammonium acetate was an adoptable buffer system, and some additives like ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid capable of destroying the complex should be avoided. Fine-tuning of the chiral resolution and elution order was achieved by regulating the ratio of L-Lys to D-Lys; i.e. the resolution increased from zero to its highest value as the ratio ascended from 1:0 to 1:infinitive, and L-isomers eluted before or after D-isomers in excessive D- or L-Lys, respectively.     

Determination of Vanadium(IV) and Vanadium(V) in Benfield Samples by IEC with Conductivity Detection

In this study, the determination of vanadium valence state, V(IV) and V(V) has been achieved using ion-exchange chromatography with conductivity detector. In this method, V(IV) was determined as V(IV)-EDTA complex and V(V) as vanadate ion. Determination of V(IV) was successfully done using 3 mM carbonate/bicarbonate/EDTA at pH 8.6 as the eluent. The additive, EDTA in the mobile phase did not seem to interfere with the V(IV) analysis. The detection of V(V) was achieved with 5 mM disodium hydrogen phosphate buffer at pH 10.4. A linear calibration graph over VO₃ ^? and V(IV) with concentration ranges 5–15 mg L^?1 gave the detection limit at 0.09 and 0.1 mg L^?1, respectively. Both V(IV) and V(V) were successfully determined in Benfield sample, with concentrations of V(IV) and V(V) at 4 and 11,000 mg L^?1, respectively.     

Simultaneous determination of myocardial nucleotides, nucleosides, purine bases and creatine phosphate by ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography.

An ion-pair reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described for the separation and quantification of myocardial nucleotides, nucleosides, their metabolites and creatine phosphate-related compounds in a single run. Separation of a standard mixture containing 21 compounds was achieved on a 5-microns Hypersil ODS column with a 5-min isocratic elution (buffer: 0.1 M NaH2PO4, pH 5.5, containing 5.9 mM tetrabutylammonium hydrogen-sulphate) followed by a slow linear gradient to 17% acetonitrile. The method was applied to extracts of freeze-clamped rat heart tissue samples as well as to extracts of neonatal rat heart cardiomyocytes, and it provided good resolution of high-energy phosphates, including creatine phosphate, as well as of their degradation products.     

4－（2－氨基噻唑）－间苯二酚为柱前衍化剂液相色谱／电化学检测Fe、Co、Ni

４－（２－氨基噻唑）－间苯二酚为柱前衍化剂液相色谱／电化学检测Ｆｅ、Ｃｏ、Ｎｉ格日勒，李惠梅，李南强，汪尔康（中国科学院长春应用化学研究所电分析化学开放实验室，北京大学化学系，长春，１３００２２）关键词液相色谱，Ｆｅ，Ｃｏ，Ｎｉ，４－（２－氨基噻唑）...     

Ferrozine colorimetry and reverse flow injection analysis (rFIA) based method for the determination of total iron in aqueous solutions at nanomolar concentrations

Iron is one of the most microbiologically and chemically important metals in natural waters. The biogeochemical cycling of iron is significantly influenced by the redox cycling of Fe(II) and Fe(III). Because of the unique chemistry of iron, it is often needed to analyze iron at nano-molar concentrations. This article describes a reverse flow injection analysis (rFIA) based method with ferrozine spectrophotometric detection to quantify total iron concentration in stream water at nanomolar concentrations. The rFIA system has a 0.65 nM detection limit and a linear dynamic range up to 1.40 μM for the total iron analysis. The detection limit was achieved using a 1.0 m long liquid waveguide capillary flow cell, 1.50 m long knotted reaction coil, 87.50 μL injection loop and a miniature fiber optics spectrophotometer. The optimized colorimetric reagent has 1.0 mM ferrozine, 0.1 M ascorbic acid, 1.0 mM citric acid and 0.10 M acetate buffer adjusted to pH 4.0. The best sample flow rate is 2.1 mL min^?1 providing a sample throughput of more than 15 samples h^?1. The linear dynamic range of the method can be adjusted by changing the volume of the injection loop. The rFIA manifold was assembled exclusively from commercially available components.     

Size matters! Fragmentation chemistry of [Cu(L)n]2+ complexes of diacylglycerophosphocholines as a function of coordination number (n = 2-7)

[Cu(L)(n)](2+) complexes of 1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (L = D6PC) are formed upon electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) of an 8 mM solution of D6PC with 4 mM CuCl(2) in 10 mM ammonium acetate buffer, pH 6.1. The collision-induced dissociation (CID) reactions of the [Cu(L)(n)](2+) complexes were examined in a linear ion trap mass spectrometer. A rich fragmentation chemistry was observed, including: loss of a neutral ligand; intermolecular ligand-ligand S(N)2 methylation; metal ion induced ligand fragmentation via carboxylate abstraction; and phosphate abstraction. The dominant reaction channel depends on the size (n) of the complex. Thus loss of neutral ligand(s) is the sole reaction channel for n = 5-7. At n = 4, S(N)2 methylation and carboxylate abstraction start to compete with neutral ligand loss. At n = 2 the carboxylate abstraction and phosphate abstraction reactions dominate the CID spectrum. The carboxylate abstraction and phosphate abstraction reactions are likely to be driven via neighboring group pathways. PM3 calculations, carried out to compare competing neighboring pathways based on the relative stabilities of the product ions, suggest a preference for five-membered ring formation for ligand fragmentation involving both carboxylate and phosphate abstraction.     

Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid γ‐aminobutyric acid by capillary electrophoresis with laser‐induced fluorescence detection

The measurement of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) is suitable for investigating various neurological disorders. In this study, a sensitive and selective method for free GABA quantification in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has been standardised. This method is based on CE with LIF detection using 4‐fluoro‐7‐nitrobenzo‐2‐oxa‐1,3‐diazole (NBD‐F) as a derivatisating agent. The reaction conditions (NBD‐F concentration, pH, temperature and reaction time) and the electrophoretic parameters (run buffer composition and pH and separation voltage) were optimised to obtain the maximum derivatisation efficiency and electrophoretic resolution. The best resolution was obtained using 200 mM sodium borate, 10 mM SDS, 8.5 mM β‐CD, pH 10 and 20 kV voltage. The method was linear in the concentration range of 2.5–1000 nM with good inter‐ and intra‐assay precision values. The effects of CSF handling on free GABA concentrations were also evaluated. Our results show that the time delay between CSF collection and freezing strongly increases the CSF GABA values. Age‐related reference values were established in 55 paediatric controls. The influence of antiepileptic therapy on free CSF GABA was studied in 38 neuropaediatric patients. Significantly, higher GABA values were obtained in patients taking valproic acid or vigabatrin therapy, which are antiepileptic drugs that modulate GABA metabolism.     

Determination of V(V), Nb(V), and Ta(V) with 2-(2-Thiazolylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol by Reversed-Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography

The simultaneous determination of vanadium, niobium, and tantalum by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with 2-(2-thiazolylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol (TADAP) as the precolumn chelating reagent has been established. Optimum conditions for the separation, such as the methanol content, the addition of tartaric acid, pH, and the concentration of acetate buffer, were investigated. The metal chelates were eluted in 8 min with a mobile phase of methanol–water (55/45, v/v) containing tartaric acid (0.1%, m/v) and acetate buffer (pH 3.5, 10 mmol/liter) on an ODS column at 568 nm. The detection limits (signal-to-noise RATIO = 3) for V(V), Nb(V), and Ta(V) were 0.16, 0.32, and 1.77 ng/ml, respectively. The proposed method was applied to the analyses of a reference of mineral and synthetic samples. The result was in accord with the certified value, and the recoveries were 98.9–101.8%.     

Enantiomeric separation of citalopram and its metabolites by capillary electrophoresis

A simple and fast capillary electrophoretic method has been developed for the enantioselective separation of citalopram and its main metabolites, namely N-desmethylcitalopram and N,N-didesmethylcitalopram, using beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) sulfate as the chiral selector. For method optimisation several parameters were investigated, such as CD and buffer concentration, buffer pH, and capillary temperature. Baseline enantioseparation of the racemic compounds was achieved in less than 6 min using a fused-silica capillary, filled with a background electrolyte consisting of a 35 mM phosphate buffer at pH 2.5 supplemented with 1% w/v beta-CD sulfate and 0.05% w/v beta-CD at 25 degrees C and applying a voltage of -20 kV. A fast separation method for citalopram was also optimized and applied to the analysis of pharmaceutical formulations. Racemic citalopram was resolved in its enantiomers in less than 1.5 min using short-end injection (8.5 cm, effective length) running the experiments in a background electrolyte composed of a 25 mM citrate buffer at pH 5.5 and 0.04% w/v beta-CD sulfate at a temperature of 10 degrees C.     

Rapid analysis of atorvastatin calcium using capillary electrophoresis and microchip electrophoresis

In this work, a capillary electrophoretic method for the rapid quantitation of atorvastatin (AT) in a lipitor tablet was investigated and developed. Method development included studies of the effect of applied potential, buffer concentration, buffer pH, and hydrodynamic injection time on the electrophoretic separation. The method was validated with regard to linearity, precision, specificity, LOD, and LOQ. The optimum electrophoretic separation conditions were 25 mM sodium acetate buffer at pH 6, with a separation voltage of 25 kV using a 50 microm capillary of 33 cm total length. Sodium diclofenac was used as an internal standard. Analysis of AT in a commercial lipitor tablet by electrophoresis gave quite high efficiency, coupled with an analysis time of less than 1.2 min in comparison to LC. Once the separation was optimized on capillary, it was further miniaturized to a microchip platform, with linear imaging UV detection using microchip electrophoresis (MCE). Linear imaging UV detection allowed for real-time monitoring of the analyte movement on chip, so that the optimum separation time could be easily determined. This microchip electrophoretic method was compared to the CE method with regard to speed, efficiency, precision, and LOD. This work represents the most rapid and first reported analysis of AT using MCE.     

Sensitive determination of biogenic amines by capillary electrophoresis with a new fluorogenic reagent 3-(4-fluorobenzoyl)-2-quinolinecarboxaldehyde

An effective approach was proposed to the derivatization of seven biogenic amines using 3-(4-fluorobenzoyl)-2-quinolinecarboxaldehyde (FBQCA) as a fluorogenic reagent. The sensitive determinations of these derivatives were achieved by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. The derivatization and electrophoretic conditions have been optimized. A running buffer was composed of mixtures of 25 mM pH 9.5 boric acid, 25 mM SDS, and 27% ACN. At 25 °C and 22.5 kV, the baseline separation of the derivatives was accomplished in 13 min. The detection limit (S/N = 3) was found as low as 0.4 nM. The proposed method was validated by the linearity of two orders magnitude and correlation coefficient in the range 0.9969–0.9998. Also, the procedure was successfully applied to the determination of biogenic amines in soy sauce, fish and wine samples.