Ion chromatographic separation of hydrogen ion and other common mono- and divalent cations

We introduced an approach to the ion chromatographic determination of common mono- and divalent cations including hydrogen ion and demonstrated the ability of a C30 column dynamically coated first with dodecylsulfate and then with 18-crown-6 ether to separate the cations by ion-exchange mechanism. Using an ethylenediamine solution containing a small concentration of 18-crown-6 ether and lithium dodecylsulfate at pH 6.2 as eluent, the cations were eluted in the order Li < Na+ < NH4+ < H+ < K+ < Mg2+ < Ca2+ with symmetrical peaks. The conductivity vs. concentration plots were linear about three orders of magnitude, from millimolar to micromolar; and the detection limits were all < 0.6 microM. Rainwater was analyzed directly using this ion chromatographic system with satisfactory results.     

Determination of total acidity and of divalent cations by ion chromatography with n-hexadecylphosphocholine as the stationary phase

An ion chromatographic (IC) method is reported for simultaneous determination of total acidity (H+), Ba2+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ in aqueous samples. A standard ODS silica column modified by coating with n-hexadecylphosphocholine was used as the separation column. Water alone was used as the eluent, with conductivity detection of the sample ions. An excess of sodium iodide was added to each sample so that both H+ and divalent cations were always eluted with iodide as the counterion. The elution order was Ba2+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and H+ with H+ being eluted much later than the divalent cations. Acetic acid and several other weak acids could also be separated because all the protons were transposed from acetic acid (HAc) to HI by the sodium iodide. Detection limits for 100 microl injection, S/N=3 were in the low micromolar range for the divalent cations and approximately 0.3 mM for H+/I-. This method was used successfully for simultaneous determination of total acidity, magnesium and calcium in HCl-type of hot-spring water.     

Maleic acid-styrene encapsulated silica cation exchanger in high performance liquid chromatography

The use of poly(maleic acid–styrene)-encapsulated silica for the determination of monovalent and divalent cations is well accepted in ion chromatography. The separation of Mn²⁺, alkali and alkaline earth metal cations is obtained under the same chromatographic conditions. The influences of pH and the concentration of eluent on the retention of cations have been studied. The preparation conditions of packings were studied. The metal ions in the boiler water samples from a thermal power plant were quantitatively determined using this column. The results are in agreement with those determined by ICP and Volumetric analysis methods.     

Analysis of snow from Antarctica: a critical approach to ion-chromatographic methods

Ion-chromatographic methods for anion and cation determination in snow samples from Antarctica are evaluated with regard to sensitivity and selectivity. An eluent-step change method is proposed to determine simultaneously mono- and divalent cations with detection limits lower than 1 g/L. Special attention is given to the determination of the ammonium ion at trace levels in the presence of high sodium concentrations and the problems of sample contamination by the laboratory environment are evaluated. Two alternative methods, one using isocratic and the other a gradient elution, are proposed for the determination of fluoride, acetate, formate and methanesulphonate ions. Both methods are discussed to evaluate their use in snow sample analysis.     

Simultaneous Determination of Total Nitrogen and Metal Elements in Tobaccos by High Performance Ion Chromatography

A simple method, developed primarily for simultaneous determination of total nitrogen and inorganic cations by high performance ion chromatographic (HPIC), was optimized for digestion of flue‐cured tobaccos, and compared with the traditional Kjeldahl method and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Nitrogen determination by either Dumas method or Kjeldahl method is time‐consuming and tedious. Metal elements determination by either inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) or AAS may be more expensive and requires specialist equipment. The use of HPIC to simultaneous determine total nitrogen as ammonium ion and metal elements as inorganic cations after sample digestion significantly improves the speed of the analysis compared with the conventional methods. The cation‐exchange column and suppressed conductivity detector was used for determination of ammonium and inorganic cations in the presence of the elevated levels of sulfuric acid found in digested sample. The propsoed digestion method was accurate and precise, and required little investment. The determination of ammonium and inorganic cations was linear from 15 pg·L^?1 up to 25 ng·L^?1. The results obtained by the HPIC method were compared with those for the conventional methods approach for the determination of total nitrogen and metal elements. The application of the HPIC method is also demonstrated for a variety of other plant samples matrices.     

Use of zwitterionic micelles in the eluent II: a new approach to ion chromatographic analysis of inorganic cations in biological fluids with direct sample injection

A new ion chromatographic (IC) technique has been developed for the determination of inorganic cations in biological fluids with direct sample injection. This involved the use of a mixed zwitterionic-micelle/electrolyte solution as an eluent. The proteins in the sample became bound to the zwitterionic micelles in the eluent and were thus eliminated from the column. The cations were separated by cation exchange. This method is ideal for the online, simultaneous determination of common inorganic cations (Na+, NH4+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+) in urine and serum samples. Such an application was demonstrated experimentally. Non-suppressed conductivity was used for analyte detection. The detection limits obtained using this IC system were 2.94, 5.22, 34.9, 32.6, and 56.7 microg/L for Na+, NH4+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+, respectively.     

Determination of alkali and alkaline earth elements along with nitrogen in uranium based nuclear fuel materials by ion chromatography (IC)

An accurate and sensitive ion chromatographic (IC) method with suppressed conductivity detection is described for determination of traces of Na, K, Mg and Ca along with nitrogen in uranium based materials. The method involves matrix separation after sample dissolution by hydrolyzing and filtering off the polyvalent cations. Transition elements interfering in the determination of Ca were removed by cation exchange cartridge containing iminodiacetate resin. Detection limits were between 2 and 6 μg L⁻¹ and overall precision were better than ±5%. Recovery of spiked cations was in range from 96% to 104%. Results obtained were in good agreement with other methods.     

Analysis of cationic nutrients from foods by ion chromatography

This paper describes the feasibility of combining two relatively new technologies to generate data on the cationic nutrient content of foods. Single column ion chromatography was used to monitor several analytes following the use of a microwave digestion scheme aimed at rapid, multiple sample digestion. The result is a more streamline and productive approach to multi-sample preparation and multi-analyte determination when investigating the cation content of foods.

Linearity and limits of detection for the chromatographic procedure were established. Sample size as well as digestion acid type and amount were investigated during the microwave process. The method was applied to a variety of food matrices to evaluate its scope. Results generated with this method compare favorably to those from atomic absorption.

Finally, capillary ion electrophoresis (Waters' trade name: Capillary Ion Analysis), a subset of capillary electrophoresis which has been optimized for ion analysis, was applied to the sample digest to investigate the usefulness of this technology to the analysis of mono-/divalent cations from foods.     

同时测定无机离子的改良离子色谱法在河水和废水质量监控中的应用（英文）

In this study,our recent work on advanced ion chromatographic methods for the simultaneous determination of inorganic ionic species such as common anions(SO2-4,Cl-and NO-3) and cations(Na+,NH+4,K+,Mg2+,and Ca2+),nutrients(phosphate and silicate) and hydrogen ion/alkalinity are summarized first.Then,the applications using these methods for monitoring environmental water quality are also presented.For the determination of common anions and cations with nutrients,the separation was successfully performed by a polymethacrylate-based weakly acidic cation-exchange column of TSKgel Super IC-A/C(Tosoh,150 mm×6.0 mm i.d.) and a mixture solution of 100 mmol/L ascorbic acid and 4 mmol/L 18-crown-6 as acidic eluent with dual detection of conductivity and spectrophotometry.For the determination of hydrogen ion/alkalinity,the separation was conducted by TSKgel ODS-100Z column(Tosoh,150 mm×4.5 mm i.d.) modified with lithium dodecylsulfate and an eluent of 40 mmol/L LiCl/0.1 mmol/L lithium dodecylsulfate/0.05 mmol/L H2SO4 with conductivity detector.The differences of ion concentration between untreated and treated wastewater showed the variation of ionic species during biological treatment process in a sewage treatment plant.Occurrence and distribution of water-quality conditions were related to the bioavailability and human activity in watershed.From these results,our advanced ion chromatographic methods have contributed significantly for water quality monitoring of environmental waters.     

Use of zwitterionic micelles in the eluent II: a new approach to ion chromatographic analysis of inorganic cations in biological fluids with direct sample injection

A new ion chromatographic (IC) technique has been developed for the determination of inorganic cations in biological fluids with direct sample injection. This involved the use of a mixed zwitterionic-micelle/electrolyte solution as an eluent. The proteins in the sample became bound to the zwitterionic micelles in the eluent and were thus eliminated from the column. The cations were separated by cation exchange. This method is ideal for the on-line, simultaneous determination of common inorganic cations (Na⁺, NH₄ ⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺) in urine and serum samples. Such an application was demonstrated experimentally. Non-suppressed conductivity was used for analyte detection. The detection limits obtained using this IC system were 2.94, 5.22, 34.9, 32.6, and 56.7 μg/L for Na⁺, NH₄ ⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺, respectively.     

Detection of metal ions using ion-channel sensor based on self-assembled monolayer of thioctic acid

Gold electrodes were chemically modified with thioctic acid monolayer designed to mimic biological ion-channel membranes. The technique was then used in the determination of alkali, alkaline earth, thallium(I), and lanthanum metal cations as analytes. Cyclic voltammograms (CV) of [Fe(CN)6]³⁻ an electroactive marker, were measured in the presence of the various types of analyte cations. In the absence of the analyte cation, electrostatic repulsion between the marker anions and the carboxylate groups of the receptor monolayer hindered the approach of the marker anion to the electrode surface and hence hindered its reduction. The modified electrodes responded well to the metal cations except the alkali metal cations. The sensors could detect the trivalent cation La³⁺ at concentrations as low as 10⁻⁸ M. The response of the sensor to the metal cations increase in the order alkali metal3+ can be discriminated in the ratio 1:100. This makes it possible to determine the trivalent ion in a sample matrix containing monovalent and divalent cations. Thallium(I) ion showed marked deviation in its response as compared to monovalent ions of the alkali metals. The ion-channel sensor based on self-assembled monolayer of thioctic acid therefore offers a potential alternative technique for the selective determination of metal ions.     

Indirect ultraviolet spectrophotometric detection in the ion chromatography of common mono- and divalent cations on an aluminium adsorbing silica gel column with tyramine-containing crown ethers as eluent

The application of laboratory-made aluminium-adsorbing silica gel (Al-Silica) as a cation-exchange stationary phase to ion chromatography-indirect photometric detection (IC-IPD) for common mono- and divalent cations (Li+, Na+, NH+, K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+) was carried out by using protonated tyramine (4-aminoethylphenol) as eluent ion. When using 1.2 mM tyramine-0.2 mM oxalic acid at pH 4.5 as eluent, incomplete separation of the monovalent cations and complete separation of the divalent cations were achieved in 17 min. Then, the addition of crown ethers in the eluent was carried out for the complete separation of the mono- and divalent cations. As a result, when using 1.2 mM tyramine--0.2 mM oxalic acid at pH 4.5 containing either 5 mM 15-crown-5 (1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxacyclopentadecane) or 0.5 mM and 18-crown-6 (1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaoxacyclooctadecane) as eluent, excellently simultaneous separation of these cations was achieved in 21 min. The proposed IC-IPD was successfully applied to the determination of major cations in natural water samples.     

The determination of uranium in environmental samples using extraction chromatography

Many traditional methods for the determination of actinides in environmental samples have involved several solvent extraction and/or ion exchange steps that separate the radionuclide of interest from the bulk sample matrix. These methods are generally labor-intensive employ hazardous substances and generate considerable volume of toxic wastes. Extraction chromatographic resins have been developed that combine the power and selectivity of solvent extraction with the ease of use of ion exchange chromatographic resin. Some of these extraction chromatographic resins have been developed that will selectively sorb a particular radionuclide or groups of radionuclides from solution. A considerable amount of interest has recently been shown in these resins as they are claimed to be cost-effective in terms of increasing sample throughput, eliminating the need for expensive solvent extractants and being generally safer to handle. One such commercially available resin, U/TEVA.Spec^® will selectively absorb uranium and tetravalent actinides such as thorium and plutonium from an acidic nitrate solution. This paper describes the application of U/TEVA.Spec^® to the determination of uranium in a range of environmental samples.     

Determination of inorganic acids by ion chromatography with n-tetradecylphosphocholine (zwitterionic surfactant) as the stationary phase and pure water as the mobile phase

A new ion chromatographic (IC) system, in which n-tetradecylphosphocholine (TDPC, a phosphobetaine type of zwitterionic surfactant) was used as the stationary phase, pure water as the mobile phase, and conductivity as the method of detection, has been developed for the determination of inorganic acids. Five model acids, HCl, HNO3, HClO4, H2SO4, and H3PO4, were separated to baseline and eluted in the order H3PO4 > HCl > HNO3 > H2SO4 > HClO4. When peak areas were plotted against the concentrations of the acids in samples, linear calibration curves were obtained. Ultimate determination limits were approximately 1 mmol L(-1), but the discrimination of the method between solutions of different concentration was better than 10 micromol L(-1) for those model analytes. Salts of divalent cations could also be separated, but they were eluted faster than the acids. No separation was observed for the salts of monovalent cations. This newly proposed approach is applicable to the simultaneous determination of the inorganic acids (produced by reactions of NOx, SOx, and HCl with water) in aerosols.     

Reproducibility of serum protein profiling by systematic assessment using solid-phase extraction and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

Protein profiling of human serum by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) is potentially a new diagnostic tool for early detection of human diseases, including cancer. Sample preparation is a key issue in MALDI MS and the analysis of complex samples such as serum requires optimized, reproducible methods for handling and deposition of protein samples. Data acquisition in MALDI MS is also a critical issue, since heterogeneity of sample deposits leads to attenuation of ion signals in MALDI MS. In order to improve the robustness and reproducibility of MALDI MS for serum protein profiling we investigated a range of sample preparation techniques and developed a statistical method based on repeated analyses for evaluation of protein-profiling performance of MALDI MS. Two different solid-phase extraction (SPE) methods were investigated, namely custom-made microcolumns and commercially available magnetic beads. Using these two methods, nineteen different sample preparation methods for serum profiling by MALDI MS were systematically tested with regard to matrix selection, stationary phase, selectivity, and reproducibility. Microcolumns were tested with regard to chromatographic properties; reversed phase (C8, C18, SDB-XC), ion-exchange (anion, weak cation, mixed-phase (SDB-RPS)) and magnetic beads were tested with regard to chromatographic properties; reversed phase (C8) or affinity chromatography (Cu-IMAC). The reproducibility of each sample preparation method was determined by enumeration and analysis of protein signals that were detected in at least six out of nine spectra obtained by three triplicate analyses of one serum sample.A candidate for best overall performance as evaluated by the number of peaks generated and the reproducibility of mass spectra was found among the tested methods. Up to 418 reproducible peaks were detected in one cancer serum sample. These protein peaks can be part of a possible diagnostic profile, suggesting that this sample preparation method and data acquisition approach is suitable for large-scale analysis of serum samples for protein profiling.     

Simultaneous separation of common mono- and divalent cations on a zirconium-modified silica gel column by ion chromatography with non-suppressed conductimetric detection and tartaric acid–15-crown-5 as eluent

The application of laboratory-made zirconium-modified silica gels (Zr-silicas) as cation-exchange stationary phases to ion chromatography with conductimetric detection (IC–CD) for common mono- and divalent cations (Li⁺, Na⁺, NH₄⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺) was carried out. Zr-silicas were prepared by the reaction of the silanol group on the surface of silica gel with zirconium tetrabutoxide (Zr(OCH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃)₄) in ethanol. Zr-silica adsorbed on 10 mg zirconium g⁻¹ silica gel was a suitable cation-exchange stationary phase in IC–CD for the separation of these mono- and divalent cations. Excellent simultaneous separation and highly sensitive detection for these cations were achieved in 10 min by IC–CD using a Zr-silica column (150×4.6 mm I.D.) and 10 mM tartaric acid containing 10 mM 15-crown-5 (1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxacyclopentadecane) as the eluent. The proposed IC–CD method was successfully applied to the determination of major mono- and divalent cations in natural water samples.     

Isolation and recovery of selected polybrominated diphenyl ethers from human serum and sheep serum: coupling reversed-phase solid-phase disk extraction and liquid-liquid extraction techniques with a capillary gas chromatographic electron capture negative ion mass spectrometric determinative technique

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are isolated and recovered with acceptable percent recoveries from human serum via liquid-liquid extraction and column chromatographic cleanup and fractionation with quantitation using capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with electron capture negative ion and selected ion monitoring. PBDEs are found in unspiked serum. An alternative sample preparation approach is developed using sheep serum that utilizes a formic acid pre-treatment followed by reversed-phase solid-phase disk extraction and normal-phase solid-phase cleanup using acidified silica gel that yields>50% recoveries. When these percent recoveries are combined with a minimized phase ratio for human serum and very low instrument detection limits, method detection limits below 500 parts-per-trillion are realized.     

Separation and determination of pyrrolidinium ionic liquid cations by ion chromatography with direct conductivity detection

A method for rapid and simultaneous determination of multiple pyrrolidinium ionic liquid cations by ion chromatography with direct conductivity detection was developed.Chromatographic separations were performed on a cation exchange column using ethylenediamine-acetonitrile as the mobile phase.The effects of chromatographic column and the mobile phase,as well as the column temperature on the retention of the cations were investigated.The retention rules of the cations under different chromatographic conditions were formulated.The retention of the cations followed the carbon number rule.The method has been successfully applied to the determination of three ionic liquids synthesized by a chemical laboratory.     

Serial separation of cations and anions by ion chromatography using the peak parking technique and sulfosalicylic acid as the eluent

An improvement of the peak parking technique is described for the serial determination of cations (Na⁺, , K⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺) and anions (Cl⁻, , and ) using a single pump, a single eluent and a single detector. The present system used commercially-available unmodified cation exchange and anion exchange columns, which were attached to each switching valve. When 1.75 mM 5-sulfosalicylic acid was used as the eluent, serial separation of the above cations and anions was achieved in less than 20 min. The proposed ion chromatographic method was successfully applied to the serial determination of cations and anions in tap water and river water samples. The limits of detection at S/N=3 for an injection of 20 μl were 16–68 ppb (μg/l) for cations and 15–28 ppb for anions.     

Quality Control of Industrial Fluorinated Inorganic Acids by Ion Chromatography

A simple ion chromatographic method has been applied to the determination of anionic impurities chloride, bromide, nitrate, and sulfate in hexafluorotitanic acid and hexafluorozirconic acid samples. Industrial samples analyzed may contain high levels of fluorinated species at pH values lower than 1.0, which represents a handicap for the instrumental analysis of these matrixes. Up to now, these samples have been analyzed by chemical methods, which have interferences, involving detection of the final point in chloride determination by volumetry and coprecipitation in sulfate determination by gravimetry. The optimization of the method was carried out using industrial samples. In order to obtain the best chromatographic resolution, the dilution factor of the samples, flow rate, and eluent concentration were studied using isocratic elution. The ion chromatographic method was suitable for the determination of anionic impurities in acidic matrixes, except for chloride in hexafluorozirconic acid. The analytes were separated in hexafluorotitanic acid and hexafluorozirconic acid, without using any sample treatment apart from dilution, with good linearity with correlation coefficients higher than 0.99 and inter- and intra-day repeatability lower than 15 percent, expressed in terms of the relative standard deviation.