M. S. Tswett and the discovery of chromatography I: Early work (1899–1903)

Summary On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Warsaw lecture of M. S. Tswett representing the first report on the chromatographic technique, this two-part article outlines the evolution of the method. This part deals with Tswett's early work in 1899–1901 and his research in 1901–1903 leading to the lecture at Warsaw. The second part will deal with the fundamental twin papers of 1906, with his book of 1910, summarizing all his activities related to the investigation of plant pigments and to the development of chromatography, and with a few special questions related to Tswett's scientific activities in this field.Part II of this article will be published in the next month's issue ofChromatographia.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of (−)-cathinone in plasma

Summary High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the determination of (–)-cathinone in rabbit and human plasma has been studied. The problem of dimerization during extraction from plasma was satisfactorily resolved. Detection was by UV at 257 nm. Concentration levels as low as 24 ng ml^–1 were satisfactorily determined. This level of sensitivity should be adequate for the detection of (–)-cathinone in the blood of khat users and also for the quantitative determination of (–)-cathinone in blood for pharmacokinetic purposes. The applicability of the assay procedure to pharmacokinetic studies is demonstrated.     

Simultaneous Determination of Aromatic Amines by Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Carbon Nanotubes/Poly (3-methylthiophene) Modified Dual-Electrode

Liquid chromatography with amperometric detection (LC-AD) is developed and applied to simultaneously determine five aromatic amines. In the LC-AD, a new carbon nanotubes/poly(3-methylthiophene) modified dual-electrode is fabricated and then used as the working electrode. It is found that this chemically modified electrode (CME) exhibits efficiently electrocatalytic oxidation for aromatic amines with relatively high sensitivity, stability and long-life. Thus, lower detection in LC-AD can be achieved, which are 4.0 × 10^–8 mol L^–1 for aniline, 1.6 ×10^–7 mol L^–1 for 4-nitroaniline, 1.0 × 10^–7 mol L^–1 for 4-chloroaniline, 1.5 × 10^–7 mol L^–1 for 1-naphthylamine, 1.7 × 10^–7 mol L^–1 for 2-bromoaniline. The recoveries of the five analytes are also determined, which range between 0.95 and 1.05 for drinking water, 0.86 and 1.10 for the LiWa River water.     

Gas chromatographic determination of serum bile acids — Application of a novel extraction procedure

Summary The profile of serum bile acids is a result of their liver metabolism and enterohepatic circulation.In the present work size exclusion chromatography is used for extraction of serum bile acids to optimize the methodology for analyzing serum bile acids by high resolution gas chromatography.Compared to other extraction methods like adsorption-[1–3] or reversed phase chromatography [4,5], this novel technique yielded a satisfactory recovery (75–104%) with high reproducibility. Therefore a reliable determination of serum bile acids is possible.     

Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge (1794–1867): “Self-grown pictures” as precursors of paper chromatography

Summary F. F. Runge (1794–1867) made important contributions to the evolution of chemistry during the first part of the 19th century. In studying the possibility of carrying out reactions on filter paper, he produced pictures which strongly resemble present-day, circular paper chromatograms.On the occasion of the bicentenary of Runge's birth, this paper summarizes his life and activities, with particular emphasis on his chromatographic work, and on his philosophical interpretation of these pictures.     

LC Method for the Determination of Multiple Components in a Compound Cold Formulation

An isocratic liquid chromatographic method for determination of acetaminophen (AMP), caffeine (CAF), chlorphenamine maleate (CPM) and guaiacol glyceryl ether (GGE) in a compound cold formulation is described. Separation and quantitation were achieved on a Diamonsil C18 column using a binary mixture of methanol and 1.5% aqueous acetic acid (55: 45, v/v, pH 3.6) as mobile phase delivered at 0.4 mL min^–1. Single wavelength detection was at 220 nm for all four drugs and the run time was < 10 min. The linearity, accuracy and precision of the method were found to be acceptable over the concentration ranges: 16.0–127.8 g mL^–1 for AMP, 6.0–48.2 g mL^–1 for CAF, 5.0–40.0 g mL^–1 for CPM and 10.1–80.6 g mL^–1 for GGE.     

Determination of Monochloroacetic Acid and Dichloroacetic Acid for Quality Control of Acetic Acid Chlorination Industry by Ion Chromatography

An ion chromatographic method is described for the purpose of quality control in the process of monochloroacetic acid production. Using 2.5 mM NaOH–10% methanol as eluent, the simultaneous determination of acetic acid, monochloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, and Cl⁻ was obtained in a single run. Monochloroacetic acid and dichloroacetic acid showed good linearity in the range 0.1–20 and 0.15–20 μg/ml and correlation coefficients were 0.9999 and 0.9998, respectively. The detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio 3:1) of monochloroacetic acid and dichloroacetic acid were 17 and 25 ng/ml. This simple, sensitive, and time-saving method can be applied for composition analysis in acetic acid chlorination production.     

The temperature dependence of retention indices in gas chromatography

Summary A linear dependence of (T–T₁)/[1(T)–1(T₁)] on temperature (considering the retention index 1(T₁) at temperature T₁ as a standard value) is derived. Both ther retention index at an assigned temperature and the temperature dependence of the retention index can be calculated from retention data measured at two temperature-programing rates.     

Chromatographic determination of D-amino acids as native constituents of vegetables and fruits

Summary Free D-amino acids (D-AA) were detected as native constituents in juices of vegetables (cultivars of cabbage, tomato, carrot, garlic) and fruits (organes, clementine, grapefruit, lemon, apples, pear, grapes) using gas chromatography (GC) or high-performance liquid chromatography (LC). For investigation by GC, AA enantiomers were converted into theirN(O)-pentafluoropropionyl 2-propyl esters and resolved on a Chirasil-L-Val capillary column. For determination by LC, precolumn derivatization of AA enantiomers usingo-phthaldialdehyde together with the chiral thiolsN-isobutyryl-L-cysteine orN-isobutyryl-D-cysteine and fluorescence detection of the diastereomeric isoindole derivatives, resolvable on an octadecylsilyl stationary phase, were used. D-Ala (0.6–3.8%) was detected in all freshly pressed plant juices usually in the highest relative amounts. Other D-AA detected were D-Asx (0.1–1.9%), D-Glx (0–1.3%), D-Ser (0–1.7%), D-Arg (0.4–1.2%, in grapes, orange, grapefruit, and clementine) and D-Leu and D-Val (1% in cabbage). Absolute amounts of native D-AA were totally 28–57 mol L^–1 in fruit juices, 14.5 mol L^–1 in a tomato juice and 8.5 mol L^–1 in a carrot juice.Presented in part as lecture at 3rd International Congress on Amino Acids, Peptides and Analogues, August 23–27, 1993, Vienna; and as posters at 31st Scientific Meeting of German Society of Nutrition, Giessen, March 17th and 18th, 1994 [19]; and at Analytica Conference, April 19–22, 1994, Munich [20].     

Critical comparison of alternating current and differential pulse voltammetry in the determination of some heavy metals in sea-water

A critical comparison of phase-selective fundamental harmonic a.c. anodic stripping voltammetry and differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry for the determination of Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn in sea-water is reported. Differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry was found to be slightly more sensitive than the a.c. technique, but the effect of the charging current could be more effectively eliminated by the latter, especially in the determination of zinc(II) and copper(II). The detection limits for both techniques were found to be about 10^–10-10^–8 M for all four elements. The precision, expressed as relative standard deviation, was of the order of 2–5% for the fundamental harmonic a.c. method and 5–8% for differential pulse voltammetry. The accuracy (expressed as recovery) was 95–105% for the former and 90–110% for the latter.     

A sensitive and specific HPLC-MS method for the determination of sophoridine,sophocarpine and matrine in rabbit plasma

A sensitive and specific method was developed for the determination of sophoridine (SRI), sophocarpine (SC) and matrine (MT) in rabbit plasma by HPLC-MS. After an administration of Kuhuang by injection, blood samples were collected and extracted with methanol. The extract solutions were analysed by HPLC-MS method. The separation was performed on a ZORBAX Extend-C18 column using methanol/water/diethylamine (50:50:0.07, v/v/v) as mobile phase. The quinolizidine alkaloids were detected by using mass spectrometry in the SIM mode. There was a good linear relationship between peak area and concentration of analytes over the concentration range of 13.2–995.0 ng mL^–1 for SRI, 7.0–530.0 ng mL^–1 for SC and 8.8–655.0 ng mL^–1 for MT, respectively. The absolute recovery of this method was more than 57% for SRI, 87% for SC and 91% for MT. The accuracy of assay was more than 90%. The limits of detection (LODs) were 6.8 ng mL^–1 for SRI, 3.5 ng mL^–1 for SC and 4.2 ng mL^–1 for MT, respectively. The limits of quantitation (LOQs) were 13.2 ng mL^–1 for SRI, 7.0 ng mL^–1 for SC and 8.8 ng mL^–1 for MT, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day coefficients of variation (RSDs) were less than 10.1, 6.3 and 5.8% for SRI, SC and MT, respectively. The developed method was applied to determine the concentration–time profiles of SRI, SC and MT in rabbit plasma after injection of Kuhuang.     

Analysis of Zoledronic Acid and Its Related Substances by Ion-Pair RP-LC

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method – ion-pair reversed- phase high performance liquid chromatography (RPIC) has been developed and employed for the analysis of zoledronic acid and its related substances in bulk material and commercial dosage forms. The mobile phase was a mixture of methanol (20%) and 5 mmol L^–1 phosphate buffer (80%) containing 6 mmol L^–1 tetrabutylammonium bromide, adjusted to pH 7.0 with sodium hydroxide. C₈ column was used as the stationary phase. The chromatographic conditions were optimized. The active ingredient – zoledronic acid was successfully separated from its related substances, including remained imidazol-1-yiacetic acid in the synthesis of zoledronic acid and other possible impurities of oxidation and decomposition. The excipients did not interfere with the determination of zoledronic acid in commercial dosage formulations. The method was rapid, simple, accurate and reproducible. It was not only successfully employed for the assay of zoledronic acid in bulk material and pharmaceutical dosage forms but also for the determination of its related substances.     

Determination of methylmercury fluxes across the air–water and air–soil interfaces by gas chromatography with electron capture detection

A method for the determination of methylmercury (MeHg) fluxes across the air–water and air–soil interfaces was developed using an in situ chamber. The MeHg in the air coming out of the chamber was captured by a column containing sulfhydryl cotton fiber adsorbent. MeHg was then desorbed from the column by using 2 mol L^–1 HCl. The MeHg in the effluent was extracted with benzene, and determined by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Finally, the MeHg flux was calculated using the chamber. The method was applied to simulated experiments, and the results showed that the MeHg fluxes in the air–water system were higher than those in the air–soil–water system. The method was also successfully applied to the field measurements of an environment polluted by a chemical factory, and the results showed that the MeHg fluxes across the air–soil and air–water interfaces were 0.21–3.09 and 0.14–0.79 ng m^–2 h^–1, respectively. The method will be a useful tool in the environmental study of MeHg.     

Simultaneous determination of DTPA,EDTA, and NTA by UV–visible spectrometry and HPLC

In this study, UV–visible spectrophotometry (UV–Vis) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used for simultaneous analysis of chelating agents diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA), ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), as their metal chelates in dishwashing detergents, natural waters, and pulp mill water. The total amounts of the chelating agents in dishwashing detergents were verified by potentiometric titration with Fe(III) solution. Nickel(II) chelates were determined by UV–Vis and iron(III)chelates by HPLC and titration. Recoveries of DTPA, EDTA, and NTA from a standard mixture of analytes by UV–Vis were 107±7, 101±12 and 94±13%, respectively, and the recovery of the total amount of complexing agents was 99±4%. The limits of detection for DTPA, EDTA, and NTA were 667, 324, and 739 mol L^–1, respectively. In HPLC measurements the optimized mobile phase contained 0.03 mol L^–1 sodium acetate, 0.002 mol L^–1 tetrabutylammonium bromide, and 5% methanol at pH 3.15 and the detection was by UV–Vis detection at 254 nm. All three complexing agents could be separated from each other in a simultaneous analysis in less than 5 min. The limits of detection were 0.34, 0.27, and 0.62 mol L^–1 for DTPA, EDTA, and NTA, respectively. The total amounts of the analytes measured in the dishwashing detergents by the three techniques were found to be highly comparable (ANOVA: F=0.04, P=0.96). R² values were 0.99 for EDTA, 0.99 for NTA, and 0.99 for all the results when UV–Vis and HPLC determinations were compared using regression lines. The UV–Vis and HPLC methods were proved to be viable also for analyses of natural and pulp mill waters. The absence of matrix interferences was verified by the standard addition technique.     

Relative efficiencies of substituted aromatic monocarboxylic acids as eluents in ion chromatographic separation of inorganic and organic anions

The eluent strengths of para, ortho and meta substituted hydroxy-, nitro-, amino- and sulfobenzoic acids in single column ion chromatographic separations of inorganic and organic anions have been evaluated and compared with benzoic acid.o-Sulfobenzoic acid turns out to be a stronger and efficient eluent compared to others for the separation and determination of monovalent (Cl^–, NO ₂ ^– , Br^–, NO ₃ ^– ) and divalent (SO ₄ ^2– , SeO ₄ ^2– , S₂O ₃ ^2– , S₂O ₆ ^2– ) inorganic anions. In addition it also functions as an appropriate mobile phase for the detection and quantification of some substituted benzoate ions in an aqueous medium.     

Theodor Lippmaa—A forgotten chromatographer

This paper discusses the activities of the Estonian scientist Theodor Lippmaa in the chromatographic investigation of rhodoxanthin during 1924–1926.     

Determination of Polyvinyl Alcohol Using Gel Filtration Liquid Chromatography

Gel filtration chromatography using a TSKgel G2000 SW column coupled with differential refractive index detection was used to analyse five grades of polyvinyl alcohol. Limits of detection and quantification for the assay were 0.14 mg mL^–1, 0.47 mg mL^–1 respectively. The inter and intra-day co-efficient of variance were both <7%. There was a significant difference (p<0.05, n=5) between the calibration curves across the five grades of PVA due to a refractive index range of 13.0790 –1.3181 (n=3). The assay accuracy was 98.99% ± 8.97% (n=5) and 90.60% ± 7.87% (n=5) of a spiked PVA sample was recovered from a commercial formulation.     

Simple extraction of phencyclidine from human body fluids by headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME)

Summary Phencyclidine (PCP) was found to be extractable by headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) from human whole blood and urine. Sample solutions were heated at 90°C in the presence of NaOH and K₂CO₃, and an SPME fiber was exposed in the headspace of a vial for 30 min. Immediately after withdrawal of the fiber, it was analyzed by gas chromatography with surface ionization detection (GC-SID). Recoveries of PCP were approximately 9.3–10.8% and 39.8–47.8% for whole blood and urine samples, respectively. The calibration curve for PCP showed good linearity in the range 2.5–100 ng mL^–1 whole blood and 0.5–100 ng mL^–1 urine. The detection limits were approximately 1.0 ng mL^–1 for whole blood and 0.25 ng mL^–1 for urine.     

Migration of Ethylene Terephthalate Oligomers from Roasting Bags into Olive Oil

Summary A high-performance liquid-chromatographic method with UV detection (HPLC–UV) has been developed for quantification of ethylene terephthalate oligomers in olive oil, from which they were extracted with acetonitrile. Oligomers, from monomers (M₁) to pentamers (M₅), were jointly and/or individually identified by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (electron-impact mass spectrometry (EIMS) low- and high-resolution) and were quantified by HPLC–UV using an acetonitrile solution of the major oligomer (the trimer M₃) as standard. For M₃ recovery was 98.9%, the detection limit was 60 g L^–2, and method precision was 2.03% (RSD). Migration of oligomers M₁–M₅ into 50 mL olive oil sealed in each of two brands of 10 cm × 10 cm poly(ethylene terephthalate) roasting bag was evaluated under two sets of conditions that approached but remained below the limit at which the bag material became physically deformed – heating for 7 min at 850 W in a microwave oven, or for 60 min at 200 °C in a conventional oven. Total migration was approximately 2.7 mg dm^–2 under the former conditions and 3.5–4.1 mg dm^–2 under the latter.Presented at the International Symposium on Separation and Characteristics of Natural and Synthetic Macromolecules, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, February 5–7, 2003     

HPLC Study of the Kinetics of Intramolecular Cyclization of Two New Phenyldiazene Molecules. Analytical Properties of the Resulting Liquid Crystals

A group of zeolites and a 3D nanoporous metal-organic material RPM-1 were tested as column packings for adsorption of isotactic polypropylene and linear polyethylene from dilute solutions. It was found that polyethylene is fully or partially retained from thermodynamically good solvents (1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethylene, 1,4-dimethylbenzene, diphenylether, 1,2-dichlorobenzene and 1,3-dichlorobenzene) at temperatures of 115 °C or 140 °C, when a specific type of zeolite with pore sizes 5–6 Å has been used as the column packing. Polypropylene was fully retained in another type of zeolite with pores of 7–12 Å, when diphenylether was used as the mobile phase. As far as known, this is the first system sorbent - mobile phase, where adsorption of polypropylene was observed.