Investigation of the separation of scandium and rare earth elements from red mud by use of reversed-phase HPLC

A chromatographic method has been developed for separation and determination of scandium (Sc) and rare earth elements (REEs) in samples from a red mud (RM)-utilization process. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with post-column derivatization using 4-(2-pyridylazo)-resorcinol (PAR) and UV–visible detection at 520 nm was tested using different gradient elution profiles and pH values to optimize separation and recovery, primarily for Sc but also for yttrium and the individual lanthanides, from iron present in the samples. The separation was performed in less than 20 min by use of a mobile phase gradient. The concentration of -hydroxyisobutyric acid (-HIBA), as eluent, was altered from 0.06 to 0.4 mol L^–1 (pH 3.7) and 0.01 mol L^–1 sodium salt n-octane sulfonic acid (OS) was used as modifier. Very low detection limits in the nanogram range and a good resolution for Sc and REEs except for Y/Dy were achieved. Before application of the method to the red mud samples and to the corresponding bauxites, Sc and REEs were leached from red mud with 0.6 mol L^–1 HNO₃ and mostly separated, as a group, from the main elements by ion exchange/selective elution (6 mol L^–1 HNO₃) in accordance with a pilot-plant process developed in this laboratory. After evaporation of the eluent to dryness the extracted elements were re-dissolved in the mobile phase. By use of this chromatographic method Sc, which is the most expensive of the elements investigated and occurs in economically interesting concentrations in red mud, could be separated not only from co-existing Fe but also from Y/Dy, Yb, Er, Ho, Gd, Eu, Sm, Nd, Pr, Ce and La. All the elements investigated were individually recovered. Their recoveries were found to be nearly quantitative.     

Interaction of Water and Methanol Molecules with the Surface of Carbonaceous Materials According to Gas Chromatographic Data

We have used gas chromatography to study the interaction of water and methanol molecules with active hydrophilic centers on the surface of thermally expanded graphite and graphitized thermal carbon black. We have determined the concentration of carboxyl and phenol hydroxyl groups on the surface of the sorbents and the heats of adsorption for adsorption of the studied substances on these groups. We have shown that water molecules are adsorbed as clusters on the hydrophilic centers of the studied sorbents at very low relative pressures, with n = 2 molecules in the cluster.     

Simultaneous Determination of Enalapril and Enalaprilat in Human Plasma by LC-MS: Application to a Bioequivalence Study

A rapid, simple and specific liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of enalapril and its major active metabolite enalaprilat in human plasma. Benazepril hydrochloride was used as the internal standard. Plasma was deproteinized with acetone and centrifuged. The supernatant was transferred and evaporated to dryness and the residue dissolved in mobile phase. Samples were separated on a C18 column with a mobile phase of methanol–20 mM ammonium acetate (53:47, v/v) containing 0.15% trifluoracetic acid (v/v) with a pH of 3.0. Enalapril, enalaprilat and the internal standard were measured by electrospray positive selective ion monitoring mode. The method was validated over a linear range of 1.56–400 ng mL⁻¹ and the limits of quantification were 1.56 ng mL⁻¹ for both enalapril and enalaprilat using 0.1 mL plasma. Extraction efficiency was more than 84% and recoveries were in range of 93.65–101.17%. The intra-day relative standard deviations (RSD) were less than 8.16 and 7.05% and inter-day RSDs were within 8.42 and 5.72% for enalapril and enalaprilat, respectively. The storage stability of QC samples was investigated under various conditions. The method was successfully applied for the evaluation of the pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence of enalapril and enalaprilat in 20 healthy volunteers after an oral dose of 20 mg enalapril maleate.     

Determination of Tetracyclines in Honey Using Liquid Chromatography with Ultraviolet Absorbance Detection and Residue Confirmation by Mass Spectrometry

A determination method has been optimized and validated for the simultaneous analysis of tetracycline （TC）, oxytetracycline （OTC）, chlortetracycline （CTC） and doxycycline （DC） in honey. Tetracyclines （TCs） were removed from honey samples by chelation with metal ions bound to small Chelating Sepharose Fast Flow columns and eluted with Na2EDTA-Mcllvaine pH 4.0 buffers. Extracts were further cleaned up by Oasis HLB solid-phase extraction （SPE）, while other solid-phase extraction cartridges were compared. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a polar end-capped C 18 column with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of oxalic acid, acetonitrile and methanol. LC with ultraviolet absorbance at 355 nm resulted in the quantitation of all four tetracycline residues from honey samples fortified at 15, 50, and 100 ng/g, with liner ranges for tetracyclines of 0.05 to 2 μg/mL. Mean recoveries for tetracyclines were greater than 50% with R.S.D. values less than 10% （n= 18）. Detection limits of 5, 5, 10, 10 ng/g for oxytetracycline, tetracycline, chlortetracycline and doxycycline, respectively and quantitation limits of 15 ng/g for all the four tetracyclines were determined. Direct confirmation of the four residues in honey （2-50 ng/g） was realized by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （LC/MS/MS）. The linear ranges of tetracyclines determined by LC/MS/MS were between 5 to 300 ng/mL, with the linear correlation coefficient r〉 0.995. The limits of detection of 1 to 2 ng/g were obtained for the analysis of the TCs in honey.     

Monitoring multi-class pesticide residues in fresh fruits and vegetables by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A new analytical method was developed using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry for the routine analysis of 31 multi-class pesticide residues and applied to approximately 50 fresh fruit and vegetable samples (green bean, cucumber, pepper, tomato, eggplant, watermelon, melon and zucchini). Extraction of the pesticides with ethyl acetate was carried out. The optimal ionisation conditions were selected for each pesticide in the same run. The procedure was validated and the values of some merit figures, such as recovery, precision, linear range, detection limit and quantification limit for each pesticide were calculated together with its calculated expanded uncertainty (U). The average recoveries in cucumber obtained for each pesticide ranged between 74 and 105% at two different fortification levels (n = 10 each) that ranged between 9 and 250 ng g(-1) (depending on the pesticide). The uncertainty associated to the analytical method was lower than 23% for all compounds tested. The calculated limits of detection and quantitation were typically <1 ng g(-1) that were much lower than the maximum residue levels established by European legislation.     

Headspace solvent microextraction A new method applied to the preconcentration of 2-butoxyethanol from aqueous solutions into a single microdrop

A new procedure and experimental setup for the headspace solvent microextraction of volatile organic materials from aqueous sample solutions is described. The extraction occurs by suspending a 3-μl drop of the solvent from the tip of a microsyringe to the headspace of a stirred aqueous sample solution for a preset extraction time. The temperature of the microdrop and the bulk of sample solution should be kept constant at optimized values. The sample analyses were carried out by gas chromatography. The procedure was successfully applied to the extraction and determination of 2-butoxyethanol from content of some color samples used for painting the outer coverage of some machines such as coolers, refrigerator, cloths machine, etc. Parameters such as extraction time, nature of extraction solvent, size of microdrop, sample volume, stirring rate, ionic strength and pH of sample solution were studied and optimized, and the method performance was evaluated.     

Extraction of Nonylphenol and Nonylphenol Ethoxylates from River Sediments: Comparison of Different Extraction Techniques

Summary Five different extraction techniques (Soxhlet, automated Randall, accelerated solvent extraction, microwave-assisted solvent extraction and extraction with a surfactant solution) have been evaluated for the determination of nonylphenol (NP) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEO) in river sediments. All the techniques were applied to the same three samples collected from northern Italian rivers. The analyses were performed with two RP columns, with different stationary reversed phases—a classical C₁₈ phase and a hexyl–phenyl phase. The recoveries and reproducibility of the different extraction techniques were comparable and all the methods gave reliable results. The variance of the results was dominated by the variance in sample homogeneity, sample preparation, and chromatographic analysis. A choice between the methods can be made on the basis of the cost and safety of each technique. Preliminary results obtained from use of a water-based extraction method with a surfactant solution (Tween-80), and its application to analysis of sediment and of worm tissue, are also presented.Presented at: Chemical Analysis and Risk Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, Barcelona, Spain, November 28–30, 2002     

Determination of didanosine in human serum by on-line solid-phase extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric detection: application to a bioequivalence study

A method based on solid-phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography with positive ion electrospray ionization and tandem mass spectrometric detection was developed for the determination of didanosine in human serum, using lamivudine as internal standard. The acquisition was performed in the multiple reaction monitoring mode, monitoring the transitions m/z 237 --> 136.7 for didanosine and m/z 230 --> 111.7 for lamivudine. The method was linear over the range studied (10-1500 ng ml(-1)), with r(2) > 0.98, and the run time was 5 min. The intra- and inter-assay precisions were < or =10% and the intra- and inter-assay accuracies were >95%. The absolute recoveries were 99.8% (10 ng ml(-1)), 98.4% (30 ng ml(-1)), 91.5% (700 ng ml(-1)) and 94.7% (1200 ng ml(-1)). The limits of detection and quantitation were 5 and 10 ng ml(-1), respectively. The method was applied to a bioequivalence study, in which 24 healthy adult volunteers (12 men) received single oral doses (200 mg) of reference and test didanosine formulations (buffered powder for oral solutions), in an open, two-way, randomized, crossover protocol. The 90% confidence interval of the individual ratios (test formulation/reference formulation) for C(max) (peak serum concentration) and AUC(0-inf) (area under the serum concentration versus time curve from time zero to infinity) were within the range 80-125%, which supports the conclusion that the two formulations are bioequivalent regarding the rate and extent of didanosine absorption.     

Determination of Biodiesel and Triacylglycerols in Diesel Fuel by LC

A high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for quantifying blends of biodiesel (simple alkyl esters of fatty acids) in petrodiesel. The method uses a silica column with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of hexane and methyl t-butyl ether. Separated components were quantitated using either an evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) or UV detector. Precision of injection and linearity of response of the ELSD and UV detectors over a range of biodiesel-petrodiesel blends [1–30 v/v %] were established by use of standards. The method also can be used for quantitating similar levels of oils or fats (triacylglycerols) in petrodiesel.     

New approach to linear gradient elution used for optimisation in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

A new mathematical treatment concerning the gradient elution in reversed-phase liquid chromatography when the volume fraction psi of an organic modifier in the water-organic mobile phase varies linearly with time is presented. The experimental ln k versus psi curve, where k is the retention factor under isocratic conditions in a binary mobile phase, is subdivided into a finite number of linear portions and the solute gradient retention time tR is calculated by means of an analytical expression arising from the fundamental equation of gradient elution. The validity of the proposed analytical expression and the methodology followed for the calculation of tR was tested using eight catechol-related solutes with mobile phases modified by methanol or acetonitrile. It was found that in all cases the accuracy of the predicted gradient retention times is very satisfactory because it is the same with the accuracy of the retention times predicted under isocratic conditions. Finally, the above method for estimating gradient retention times was used in an optimisation algorithm, which determines the best variation pattern of psi that leads to the optimum separation of a mixture of solutes at different values of the total elution time.