Preparation and characterisation of dual-layer latex-coated columns for open-tubular capillary electrochromatographic preconcentration of cations combined in-line with their separation by capillary electrophoresis

A dual-layer ion-exchange latex-coated column was prepared and characterised for on-capillary preconcentration of cations using an open-tubular ion-exchange CEC format. After preconcentration, the analyte cations were eluted with a transient isotachophoretic gradient and separated by CE. The latex double layer was established by first coating the negatively charged wall of the capillary with a layer of cationic quaternary ammonium anion-exchange Dionex AS5A latex particles (60 nm diameter), and then coating a layer of anionic sulphonated cation-exchange Dionex CS3 latex particles (300 nm diameter) onto the underlying AS5A layer. The adhesion of layers is based on electrostatic attractions. Several dual-layer capillaries were characterised for their EOF and ion-exchange capacity and this showed that coatings could be prepared reproducibly by a simple flushing procedure. The dual-layer columns exhibited a moderate, pH-independent EOF (ca. 26 x 10(-9 )m2V(-1)s(-1)) and an ion-exchange capacity of 57 microequiv./g (or 2.69 nequiv./column). Using an 8 cm length of coated capillary combined with a 72 cm length of untreated capillary, a method for on-line preconcentration and separation of monovalent organic bases, alkali metal ions and alkaline earth metal ions by CE was developed. Recoveries for the preconcentration step were 48% for 4-methylbenzylammonium, 43% for benzylammonium, 30-32% for alkali metal ions and 71-75% for alkaline earth cations. In all cases, recoveries were reproducible with RSDs being less than 6.2%. The influences of the ion-exchange selectivity coefficient of the analyte and the sample-loading rate on analyte recovery were also examined. The proposed method was utilised for the determination of alkaline earth cations and low microM detection limits were obtained.     

On-line simultaneous and rapid separation of anions and cations from a single sample using dual-capillary sequential injection-capillary electrophoresis

A novel capillary electrophoresis (CE) approach has been developed for the simultaneous rapid separation and identification of common environmental inorganic anions and cations from a single sample injection. The method utilised a sequential injection-capillary electrophoresis instrument (SI-CE) with capacitively-coupled contactless conductivity detection (C⁴D) constructed in-house from commercial-off-the-shelf components. Oppositely charged analytes from a single sample plug were simultaneously injected electrokinetically onto two separate capillaries for independent separation and detection. Injection was automated and may occur from a syringe or be directly coupled to an external source in a continuous manner. Software control enabled high sample throughput (17 runs per hour for the target analyte set) and the inclusion of an isolation valve allowed the separation capillaries to be flushed, increasing throughput by removing slow migrating species as well as improving repeatability. Various environmental and industrial samples (subjected only to filtering) were analysed in the laboratory with a 3 min analysis time which allowed the separation of 23 inorganic and small organic anions and cations. Finally, the system was applied to an extended automated analysis of Hobart Southern Water tap water for a period of 48 h. The overall repeatability of the migration times of a 14 analyte standard sample was less than 0.74% under laboratory conditions. LODs ranged from 5 to 61 μg L⁻¹. The combination of automation, high confidence of peak identification, and low limits of detection make this a useful system for the simultaneous identification of a range of common inorganic anions and cations for discrete or continuous monitoring applications.     

Determination of inorganic cations and ammonium in environmental waters by ion chromatography with a high-capacity cation-exchange column

While alkali and alkaline earth cations are commonly determined by using spectrometric techniques such as atomic absorption spectrometry or inductively coupled plasma, ammonium cation in the same sample must be measured separately by a wet chemical technique such as colorimetry, titrimetry, or ammonia-selective electrode. In a single 25-min run ion chromatography can determine all of the important inorganic cations including lithium, sodium, ammonium, potassium, magnesium and calcium. In this paper, we describe the use of ion chromatography with a new high-capacity cation-exchange column (the IonPac CS16), an electrolytically-generated methanesulfonic acid eluent and suppressed conductivity detection to determine dissolved alkali and alkaline earth cations and ammonium in drinking water wastewater and aqueous soil extracts. The IonPac CS16 is a high-capacity cation-exchange column that incorporates recent advances in polymer chemistry to enable trace-level determinations of cations even in high-ionic-strength matrices. We discuss the linear range, method detection limits, and analyte recoveries obtained with this column, and evaluate the effect of potential interferences on method performance during the analysis of typical environmental samples.     

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.     

离子对色谱-间接紫外检测法分析哌啶离子液体阳离子

建立了快速分析无紫外光吸收的哌啶离子液体阳离子的离子对色谱-间接紫外检测法。采用反相C18色谱柱,以背景紫外吸收试剂-离子对试剂水溶液/有机溶剂为流动相分离哌啶离子液体阳离子。研究了背景紫外吸收试剂、检测波长、离子对试剂、有机溶剂、柱温、流速对分离测定哌啶阳离子的影响。最佳色谱条件为：以0.5 mmol/L对氨基苯酚盐酸盐-0.1 mmol/L庚烷磺酸钠水溶液/甲醇（80：20,v/v）为流动相,检测波长210 nm,柱温30 ℃,流速1.0 mL/min。在此条件下,3种哌啶阳离子可在4 min之内基线分离。所测阳离子的检出限（S/N=3）为0.137~0.545 mg/L,峰面积和保留时间的相对标准偏差（n=5）分别不高于0.72%和0.37%。将此方法用于分析实验室合成的哌啶类离子液体,加标回收率为97.0%~98.4%。本方法简便、快速,重现性、线性关系等均能满足哌啶类离子液体阳离子的定量分析要求。     

Influence of acidic eluent for retention behaviors of common anions and cations by ion-exclusion/cation-exchange chromatography on a weakly acidic cation-exchange resin in the H+ -form

Influence of acidic eluent on retention behaviors of common anions and cations by ion-exclusion/cation-exchange chromatography (ion-exclusion/CEC) were investigated on a weakly acidic cation-exchange resin in the H(+)-form with conductivity. Sensitivities of analyte ions, especially weak acid anions (F(-) and HCOO(-)), were affected with degree of background conductivity level with pK(a1) (first dissociation constant) of acid in eluent. The retention behaviors of anions and cations were related to that of elution dip induced after eluting acid to separation column and injecting analyte sample. These results were largely dependent on the natures of acid as eluent. Through this study, succinic acid as the eluent was suitable for simultaneous separation of strong acid anions (SO(4)(2-), Cl(-), NO(3)(-) and I(-)), weak acid anions (F(-), HCOO(-) and CH(3)COO(-)), and cations (Na(+), K(+), NH(4)(+), Mg(2+) and Ca(2+)). The separation was achieved in 20 min under the optimum eluent condition, 20 mM succinic acid/2 mM 18-crown-6. Detection limits at S/N=3 ranged from 0.10 to 0.51 microM for strong acid anions, 0.20 to 5.04 microM for weak acid anions and 0.75 to 1.72 microM for cations. The relative standard deviations of peak areas in the repeated chromatographic runs (n=10) were in the range of 1.1-2.9% for anions and 1.8-4.5% for cations. This method was successfully applied to hot spring water containing strong acid anions, weak acid anions and cations, with satisfactory results.     

Preparation of a hybrid monolithic stationary phase with allylsulfonate for the rapid and simultaneous separation of cations in capillary ion chromatography

A hybrid monolithic column with sulfonate functionality was successfully prepared for the simultaneous separation of common inorganic cations in ion‐exchange chromatographic mode through a simple and easy single‐step preparation method. The strong cation‐exchange moieties were provided directly from allylsulfonate, which worked as an organic monomer in the single‐step reaction. Inorganic cations (Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, NH₄⁺, Cs⁺, Rb⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, and Sr²⁺) were separated satisfactorily by using CuSO₄ as the eluent with indirect UV detection. The allysulfonate hybrid monolith showed a better performance in terms of speed and pressure drop than the capillary packed column. The number of theoretical plates achieved was 19 017 plates/m (in the case of NH₄⁺ as the analyte). The relative standard deviations (n = 6) of both retention time and peak height were less than 1.96% for all the analyte cations. The allysulfonate hybrid monolithic column was successfully applied for the rapid and simultaneous separation of inorganic cations in groundwater and the effluent of onsite domestic wastewater treatment system.     

Tunable separation of anions and cations by column switching in ion chromatography

A convenient ion chromatography method has been proposed for the routine and simple determination of anions (Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻ and NO₃⁻) and/or cations (Na⁺, NH₄⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺) using a single pump, a single eluent and a single detector. The present system used cation-exchange and anion-exchange columns connected in series via two 6-port switching valves or a single 10-port valve. The connection order of the ion-exchange columns could be varied by switching the valve(s). The present system therefore allowed the separation of either cations or anions in a single chromatographic run. While one ion-exchange column is being operated, the other ion-exchange column is being conditioned, i.e., the columns are always ready for analysis at any time. When 2.4 mM 5-sulfosalicylic acid was used as the eluent, the three anions and the five cations could be separated on the anion-exchange column and cation-exchange column, respectively. In order to obtain the separations of the target ions, the injection valve was placed between the two columns. Complete separations of the above anions or cations were demonstrated within 10 min each. The detection limits at S/N = 3 were 19-50 ppb (μg/l) for cations and 10-14 ppb for anions. The relative standard deviations of the analyte ions were less than 1.1, 2.9 and 2.8% for retention time, peak area and peak height, respectively. This proposed technique was applied to the determination of common anions and cations in river water samples.     

Indirect photometric detection of monovalent cations via postsuppressor ion replacement in microcolumn ion chromatography

Summary Monovalent cations were indirectly detected via postcolumn suppressor ion replacement in microcolumn ion chromatography. The ion-repalcement column loaded by chromophoric ions was connected to the suppressor column. The eluent, nitric acid, was converted to water through the suppressor and anion-replacement columns, while the analyte cations were coeluted with the chromophoric anions. The analyte cations were indirectly detected by measuring UV absorptions of the chromophoric anions.     

Successive non-suppressed ion chromatography of common cations and anions using dual columns with single eluent

A successive non-suppressed ion chromatography (IC) system for the determination of common cations (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+) and anions (Cl-, Br-, NO3-, SO4(2-)) was developed, using two separation columns and a single eluent. 5-Sulfoisophthalic acid eluent was very suitable for such separations with a commercially available cation-exchange column for the mono- and di-valent cations and with an ODS column coated with cetyltrimethylammonium for the anions. Both cations and anions were detected with conductimetrically high sensitivity without any suppressor. After injecting an aliquot of sample solution, the solvent front from the cation-exchange column, including most of the anionic species, was firstly accumulated into the additional 2 ml accumulation loop for 60 s, while the cation IC was performed. Subsequently, the accumulated fraction was introduced into the anion-exchange column and chromatographed. Relative standard deviations (RSDs) of retention times and conductimetric area responses for common cations were within 6% and within 4%, respectively. The linear relationships between molar concentration and detector response ranged from 0.01 to 1.00 mM with r2 of 0.9994 for Na+, 0.9992 for K+, 0.9993 for Mg2+, and 0.9988 for Ca2+. The successive anion IC through the accumulating process was also quantitative, with 95% recovery or over for each analyte. The linear ranges were between 0.01 and 1.00 mM with r2 of 0.9996 for Cl-, 0.9997 for Br-, 0.9993 for NO3-, and 0.9984 for SO4(2-). The method was applied to the determination of common cations and anions in several mineral waters and a hot spring water.     

Application of a contactless conductometric detector for the simultaneous determination of small anions and cations by capillary electrophoresis with dual-opposite end injection

A contactless conductometric detection (CCD) system for capillary electrophoresis (CE) with a flexible detection cell was applied for the simultaneous determination of small anions and/or cations in rain, surface and drainage water samples. The applied frequency, the amplitude of the input signal, the electrolyte conductivity and electrode distance were found to be the most significant factors affecting the detection sensitivity. 2-(N-Morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid/histidine-based (MES/His) electrolytes were used for direct conductivity detection of anions and cations, while ammonium acetate was selected for indirect conductivity determination of alkylammonium salts. For the simultaneous separation procedure, involving dual-opposite end injection, an electrolyte consisting of 20 mM MES/His, 1.5 mM 18-crown-6 and 20 microM cetyltrimethylammonium bromide provided baseline separation of 13 anions and cations in less than 6 min. The detection limits achieved were 7-30 micrograms/l for direct conductometric detection of various common inorganic cations and anions, excluding F- (62 micrograms/l) and H2PO4- (250 micrograms/l), and 35-178 micrograms/l for indirect conductometric detection of alkyl ammonium cations. The developed electrophoretic method with conductometric detection was compared to ion chromatography.     

Determination of sodium,potassium, calcium and magnesium cations in biodiesel by ion chromatography

This work reports an ion chromatographic (IC) method for the quantitative determination of inorganic cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺) in biodiesel samples that were synthesized from different vegetable oils and fat. The proposed method uses water extraction, heating and ultrasound. The limits of detection (LOD) for each ion, in milligrams of the analyte per kilogram of biodiesel (mg kg⁻¹), were respectively: 0.11 (Na⁺); 0.42 (K⁺); 0.23 (Ca²⁺); and 0.36 (Mg²⁺). The accuracy of the method was studied through recovery tests. For comparison, two samples were also analyzed using an Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) procedure. The paired Student t test and the Snedecor F test showed that both methods offer equivalent results in terms of accuracy and precision. The operational simplicity, accuracy and precision of the proposed method suggest that it can be a good alternative for the determination of inorganic cations in biodiesel samples.     

Separation of organic cations using novel background electrolytes by capillary electrophoresis

A background electrolyte for capillary electrophoresis containing tris(-hydroxymethyl) aminomethane (THAM) and ethanesulfonic acid (ESA) gives excellent efficiency for separation of drug cations with actual theoretical plate numbers as high as 300,000. However, the analyte cations often elute too quickly and consequently offer only a narrow window for separation. The best way to correct this is to induce a reverse electroosmotic flow (EOF) that will spread out the peaks by slowing their migration rates, but this has always been difficult to accomplish in a controlled manner. A new method for producing a variable EOF is described in which a low variable concentration of tributylammonium- or triethylammonium ESA is added to the BGE. The additive equilibrates with the capillary wall to give it a positive charge and thereby produce a controlled opposing EOF. Excellent separations of complex drug mixtures were obtained by this method.     

Simultaneous ion-pair chromatography of inorganic anions and cations using on-column derivatization with chelating agents and UV detection

Six complexones have been investigated as on-column derivatizing agents for the simultaneous separation of inorganic anions and cations using ion pair chromatography. UV spectrophotometry at 210 nm has been applied for both the direct and the indirect detection of anions and anionic metal complexes. Under the experimental conditions used DCTA and DTPA have been practically applicable. Factors affecting the chromatographic behaviour of analyte ions have been studied. Chloride, nitrite, nitrate sulphate, chromate, molybdate, iron, chromium (III), copper (II), cobalt (II), nickel (II) and mercury (II) ions have been separated in 30 min with a mobile phase containing 1 mmol/1 TBA and 0.5 mmol/1 DCTA at pH 6.2 in acetonitrile-water (10:90 v/v). With DTPA as eluent and using pre-column derivatization of metal cations with DCTA eight anions and six metal cations can be separated. The detection limits are less than 0.1 mg/l for most of the investigated ions. Permanent address: Department of Analytical Chemistry, Vilnius University, Naugarduko 24, 2006 Vilnius, Lithuania     

Ion selectivity obtained under voltammetric conditions when a TCNQ chemically modified electrode is presented with aqueous solutions containing tetraalkylammonium cations

The voltammetry of 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) at an electrode-microparticle-aqueous (electrolye) interface has been proposed as a cation sensor on the basis that changes in electrolyte cation (analyte) concentrations result in reproducible shifts in the TCNQ0/- reversible potential. In order to probe the ion selective nature of the TCNQ sensor, the voltammetric response towards a series of tetraalkylammonium cations of variable size and hydrophobicity were studied. Both the thermodynamics (reversible potential) and kinetics (voltammetric peak separation) of the TCNQ0/- system were strongly dependant on the identity of the R4N+ cation. The reversible potential responded in a Nernstian manner to changes in cation concentration. When presented with mixed-analyte solutions, the TCNQ system exhibited Nicolsky type (or competitive) form of selectivity. However, the selectivity coefficients found in the present study were far greater than previously reported with group I cations. The order obtained for the tetraalkylammonium series indicates that ion selectivity is predominantly based on analyte solvation thermodyanics rather than a specific ionophore mechanism.     

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.     

Simultaneous ion-exclusion/cation-exchange chromatography of anions and cations in acid rain waters on a weakly acidic cation-exchange resin by elution with sulfosalicylic acid

A simple, selective, and sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of anions (sulfate, nitrate, and chloride) and cations (sodium, ammonium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium) in acid rain waters was developed using ion-exclusion/ cation-exchange chromatography with conductimetric detection. A weakly acidic cation-exchange resin column (Tosho TSKgel OA-PAK-A) and a sulfosalicylic acid-methanol-water eluent was used. With a mobile phase comprising 1.25 mM sulfosalicylic acid in methanol-water (7.5:92.5) at 1.2 ml/min, simultaneous separation and detection of the above anions and cations was achieved in about 30 min. Linear calibration plots of peak area versus concentration were obtained over the concentration ranges 0-1.0 mM for anions (R=0.9991) and 0-0.5 mM for cations (R=0.9994). Detection limits calculated at S/N=3 ranged from 4.2 to 14.8 ppb for the anions and from 2.4 to 12.1 ppb for the cations. The reproducibility of retention times was 0.14-0.15% relative standard deviation (RSD) for anions and 0.18-0.31% for cations, and reproducibility of chromatographic peak areas was 1.22-1.75% RSD for anions and 1.81-2.10% for cations. The method was applied successfully to the simultaneous determination of anions and cations in aerosols transported from mainland China to central Japan, as determined by a meteorological satellite data analyzer.     

Improvement of ion chromatography with ultraviolet photometric detection and comparison with conductivity detection for the determination of serum cations

Studies were made of the analytical conditions required for indirect photometric ion chromatography using ultraviolet photometric detection (UV method) for the determination of serum cations following a previously developed serum pre-treatment. The sensitivities of the conductivity detection (CD) and UV methods and the amounts of serum cations determined by both methods were compared. Attempts to improve the sensitivity of the conventional UV method are reported. It was found that the mobile phase previously reported by Small and Miller showed no quantitative response when more than 4 mM copper(II) sulphate pentahydrate was used. As a result, there was no significant difference in the amounts of serum cations shown by the CD and UV methods. However, by adding 0.5-5 mM cobalt(II) sulphate heptahydrate, nickel(II) sulphate hexahydrate, zinc(II) sulphate heptahydrate or cobalt(II) diammonium sulphate hexahydrate to 0.5-1.5 mM copper(II) sulphate pentahydrate, higher sensitivity and a quantitative response were attained.     

梯度淋洗离子对色谱法测定咪唑离子液体中的阳离子

采用梯度淋洗离子对色谱-紫外检测(IPC-UV)法分离测定5种咪唑离子液体中的阳离子。实验采用ZORBAX Eclipse XDB C18色谱柱,以离子对试剂与乙腈为流动相,首先考察了离子对试剂种类和浓度、乙腈浓度和色谱柱温度对咪唑阳离子保留的影响,然后确定了最适宜分离的色谱条件。在此条件下可同时基线分离5种咪唑阳离子。所测阳离子的检出限(S/N=3)为0.05～0.30 mg/L,峰面积的相对标准偏差(RSD, n=5)在0.1%以下。将此方法用于分析实验室合成的2种1-烷基-3-甲基咪唑离子液体中的阳离子,加标回收率在98.6%～102.1%之间。本方法准确、可靠,具有较好的实用性。     

Simultaneous ion-exclusion chromatography and cation-exchange chromatography of anions and cations in environmental water samples on a weakly acidic cation-exchange resin by elution with pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid

A non-suppressed conductivity detection ion chromatographic method using a weakly acidic cation-exchange column (Tosoh TSKgel OApak-A) was developed for the simultaneous separation and determination of common inorganic anions (Cl-, NO3- and SO4(2-)) and cations (Na+, NH4+, K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+). A satisfactory separation of these anions and cations on the weakly acidic cation-exchange column was achieved in 25 min by elution with a mixture of 1.6 mmol L-1 pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid and 8.0 mmol L-1 18-crown-6 at flow rate of 1.0 mL min-1. On this weakly acidic cation-exchange resin, anions were retained by an ion-exclusion mechanism and cations by a cation-exchange mechanism. The linear range of the peak area calibration curves for all analytes were up to two orders of magnitude. The detection limits calculated at S/N = 3 ranged from 0.25 to 1.9 mumol L-1 for anions and cations. The ion-exclusion chromatography-cation-exchange chromatography method developed in this work was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of major inorganic anions and cations in rainwater, tap water and snow water samples.