Automation of fluorous solid-phase extraction for parallel synthesis

An automatic fluorous solid-phase extraction (F-SPE) technique is developed by using FluoroFlash SPE cartridges on the RapidTrace workstation. A 10-module workstation has the capability to complete a maximum of 100 SPEs each round in 1-2 h. Another important feature of the RapidTrace system is that it has the capability to load slurry samples onto the F-SPE cartridges. The F-SPE cartridge charged with 2 g of fluorous silica gel is used to purify up to 200 mg of crude sample. Sample loading, elution solvent, cartridge reuse, and SPE reproducibility are evaluated. The automatic SPE system is used for purification of a small urea library generated from amine-scavenging reactions using fluorous dichlorotriazine, a 96-membered amide library generated using 2-chloro-4,6-bis[(perfluorohexyl)propyloxy]-1,3,5-triazine as the coupling agent, and another 96-membered library generated from fluorous Mitsunobu reactions. Approximately 90% of the products have > 90% purity after F-SPE.     

Highly efficient microwave-assisted fluorous Ugi and post-condensation reactions for benzimidazoles and quinoxalinones

The efficiency of an Ugi/de-Boc/cyclization strategy for construction of heterocyclic compounds has been improved through the incorporation of microwave and fluorous technologies. In the synthesis of substituted quinoxalinones and benzimidazoles, a fluorous-Boc protected diamine is employed for the Ugi reactions. Both the Ugi and the post-condensation reaction proceed rapidly under microwave irradiation and the reaction mixtures are purified by solid-phase extraction (SPE) over FluoroFlash^TM cartridges.     

Plate-to-plate fluorous solid-phase extraction for solution-phase parallel synthesis

A commercially available Argonaut VacMaster-96 plate-to-plate solid-phase extraction (SPE) station equipped with 24 FluoroFlash cartridges is employed for parallel purification of fluorous reaction mixtures. Each cartridge charged with 3 g of fluorous silica gel has the capability to produce up to 100 mg of purified small molecules. The 24-well receiving plate has a standard footprint that can be directly concentrated in a Genevac vacuum centrifuge. Important issues such as sample loading, product cross-contamination, cartridge reuse, and reproducibility are investigated. The SPE system has been demonstrated in the purification of three small libraries that were produced involving amine scavenging reactions with fluorous isatoic anhydride, amide coupling reactions with 2-chloro-4,6-bis[(perfluorohexyl)propyloxy]-1,3,5-triazine (fluorous CDMT), and amide coupling reactions with a newly developed fluorous Mukaiyama condensation reagent.     

Fluorous synthesis of disubstituted pyrimidines

[reaction: see text] The fluorous synthesis of disubstituted pyrimidines is carried out by attaching 2,4-dichloro-6-methylpyrimidine with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecanethiol. The tagged substrate is substituted with 3-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazole followed by thioether oxidation and tag displacement with amines or thiols. The fluorous chain serves as a phase tag for intermediate and product purification over FluoroFlash SPE cartridges.     

Fluorous and traceless synthesis of substituted indole alkaloids

The fluorous traceless synthesis of substituted indole alkaloids is carried out first by attaching the 3-(perfluorooctyl)propanol with Boc protected L-tryptophan. The reaction of perfluoroalkyl (Rfh)-tagged tryptophan esters with various aldehydes undergoes Pictet-Spengler reaction to give cis and trans stereoisomers of tetrahydro-beta-carbolines. The nucleophilic addition of the piperidine nitrogen across various isocyanates is followed by the cyclization of ureas and simultaneous rupture of the fluorous tag to afford the hydantoin ring fused tetrahydro-beta-carbolines. All the fluorous-tag compounds are purified by solid-phase extraction (SPE) through Fluoro Flash cartridges.     

FluoMar,a fluorous version of the Marshall resin for solution-phase library synthesis

[structure: see text] The fluorous counterpart of the Marshall resin, 4-(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecylsulfanyl)phenol (FluoMar), is prepared by S-alkylation of 4-mercaptophenol with C(8)F(17)CH(2)CH(2)I and employed in the synthesis of amide and diamide analogues. The final products are purified by solid-phase extraction (SPE) over FluoroFlash silica cartridges.     

A novel, base-labile fluorous amine protecting group: synthesis and use as a tag in the purification of synthetic peptides

A new, base-labile fluorous tag based on the Msc amine protecting group was synthesized. Its use in the purification of synthetic peptides by fluorous HPLC or fluorous SPE was demonstrated.     

Fluorous synthesis of hydantoins and thiohydantoins

[reaction: see text] A fluorous synthesis of hydantoins is introduced. The reaction of perfluoroalkyl (Rfh)-tagged amino esters with an isocyanate is followed by the cyclization of ureas and simultaneous cleavage of the fluorous tag to afford hydantoins. The product purification is performed by solid-phase extraction over FluoroFlash cartridges, and no fluorous solvent is involved in either the reaction or the separation processes. The same method applies to synthesis of thiohydantoins.     

Characterization of molecularly imprinted polymers for the extraction of tobacco alkaloids and their metabolites in human urine

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are synthetic polymers designed to selectively extract target analytes from complex matrices (including biological matrices). The literature shows that MIPs have a degree of cross-selectivity from analytes within the same class of compounds. A commercially available MIP for tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) is designed to be class selective for four TSNA compounds. This study sought to characterize the extent of cross-selectivity of the TSNA MIPs with other tobacco alkaloids. Cross-selectivity and recovery of the SupelMIP™ TSNA SPE cartridges was assessed with N-nitrosonornicotine (NNN), nicotine, cotinine and morphine. Their recoveries were compared with the recoveries of a nonimprinted polymer SPE cartridge, and two traditional SPE cartridges: a Waters mixed-mode cation exchange cartridge and a Waters hydrophilic–lipophilic balance cartridge. NNN and cotinine had the highest recoveries with the MIP cartridge, over 80%, and cotinine samples in urine had >80% recoveries. Nicotine had highly variable recoveries, possibly owing to differing chemical properties from the TSNAs. All three analytes had significantly different recoveries with the MIP cartridges compared with the traditional SPE cartridges. Morphine displayed nonspecific interactions with the MIP cartridges. Utilization of the TSNAs’ cross-selectivity allows for simultaneous extraction and identification of multiple tobacco biomarkers using one extraction technique.     

Re-usability of solid-phase extraction columns during the HPLC analysis of some macrolide antibiotics in serum and urine

Summary The re-usability of C₁₈ solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartidges was assessed utilizing two different analytical procedures developed for the analysis of erythromycin and josamycin in human serum and urine. A statistical procedure using confidence intervals was employed in order to determine a 10% change in drug recovery on re-use with a 95% degree of certainty. The results obtained indicated that the SPE cartridges could be successfully re-used up to three times for serum and urine samples containing physiological concentrations of erythromycin base and propionate. However, in the case of josamycin, results were inconsistent after the second re-use of the extraction cartridges for serum samples. Reproducible results, however, were still obtained for urine samples using the same SPE cartridges up to four times. The results indicate that although succesful re-use of SPE cartridges is possible, each drug and associated extraction conditions need to be carefully assessed prior to implementing such re-use.     

Convertible Fluorous Sulfonate Linker for the Synthesis of Diverse Library Scaffolds

Aryl perfluorooctanesulfonates (fluorous sulfonate) have been developed as triflates and nonaflates alternatives for Pd‐catalyzed coupling reactions to form C‐C, C‐N, C‐S, C‐H, and C‐CN bonds. They also serve as phase‐tags for fluorous solid‐phase extraction (F‐SPE) to facilitate product purifications. Other synthetic techniques such as microwave reactions and multicomponent reactions are combined with the fluorous linker strategy to further increase synthetic efficiency. The utility of fluorous sulfonate linkers in the synthesis of biologically interested library scaffolds is summarized in this short review article.     

A microfluidic fluorous solid-phase extraction chip for purification of amino acids

An electrokinetically-driven microfluidic chip was developed to realize beads-based solid-phase extraction (SPE) of amino acids. This chip uses a two-level (deep/shallow) poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchannel network to confine the fluorous reversed-phase silica beads within the SPE chamber. The mixture of fluorous tagged and non-tagged amino acids was carried into the fluorous solid-phase extraction (F-SPE) chamber by electrokinetic pumping and was successfully separated and extracted. By adding a reference material to the sample, the extraction efficiency of the eluted fluorous-tagged amino acid was calculated using the detection results from mass spectrometry (MS). The F-SPE microchips showed good reproducibility and efficiency, yielding an average extraction efficiency of 55% with a RSD of 10.6% under the typical experimental conditions.     

Mono- vs. di-fluorous-tagged glucosamines for iterative oligosaccharide synthesis

Fluorous-tagged protecting groups are attractive tools for elongating carbohydrate chains in oligosaccharide synthesis. To eliminate the accumulation of failed sequences during automated oligosaccharide synthesis conditions, an additional C₈F₁₇ ester derived protecting group was attached to the glycosyl donor to better retain the desired doubly tagged glycosylation product on fluorous solid-phase extraction (FSPE) cartridges. Initial studies show that the double-fluorous-tagging strategy offers a robust enough separation using a commercial FSPE cartridge using simple gravity filtration to separate the desired product from the singly fluorous-tagged starting materials and their decomposition products. In addition, removal of the fluorous acetate and its by-products after sodium methoxide treatment and neutralization required only dissolution of the desired sugar in toluene and subsequent removal of the toluene layer from the denser fluorous by-products.     

Electric Field-Assisted Solid Phase Extraction: Devices, Development and Application with a Cationic Model Compound

This work describes novel devices for electric field-assisted solid phase extraction (E-SPE) and an application was carried out on the antimicrobial marbofloxacin (MAR). Conventional syringe-type SPE cartridges were easily adapted to receive two electrodes that were inserted and positioned below and above the sorbent. The adapted cartridges were coupled to a flow extraction system, which consisted of an electrophoresis power supply, a peristaltic pump and a homemade SPE manifold. These devices were used to apply electric fields during the extraction of MAR from fortified buffer and milk samples. The recovery of MAR was improved (2.3 times) or reduced (4.2 times) in comparison to conventional SPE when the top electrode was used as cathode (E-SPE_(?/+)) or anode (E-SPE_(+/?)), respectively. The results demonstrated that usual SPE cartridges can be easily and inexpensively adapted for applying an electric field in SPE. It was also concluded that the electric field applied in a usual SPE cartridge can be employed as a new suitable approach to enhance the extraction efficiency of ionic compounds in a complex sample matrix.     

Fluorous-enhanced multicomponent reactions for making drug-like library scaffolds

Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) generate multiple bonds in a single reaction process, which is highly efficient to construct relatively complex molecules. Conducting post-MCR modification reactions further increases the molecular complexity and diversity. MCR has become a powerful approach to make drug-like molecules in lead generation chemistry. In fluorous MCR (F-MCR), one of the starting materials is attached to a fluorous tag and used as the limiting agent. After the MCR, the fluorous component is fished out from the reaction mixture and used for post-MCR modifications. The fluorous tag can be finally removed in traceless fashion by displacement or cyclization reactions. Unique fluorous technology such as fluorous solid-phase extraction (F-SPE) facilitates the separation process. Other techniques such as microwave irradiation and plate-to-plate SPE can also be used to make the F-MCR even more efficient. Syntheses of unique heterocyclic and natural product-like library scaffolds using Ugi/de-Boc/cyclization, MCR/Suzuki coupling, and [3+2] cycloaddition/de-tag/cyclization protocols are described in this paper.     

Solid-phase extraction of carotenoids

In this work, solid-phase extraction (SPE) trapping performance of lutein and β-carotene, which were used as the model molecules of carotenoids, was investigated. The absorption, elution, and enrichment of carotenoids on SPE cartridges with four different sorbents, i.e. C₃₀, C₁₈, diol, and silica, were compared respectively with the help of frontal analysis technique. The high retentions of both lutein and β-carotene were achieved on the C₁₈ and C₃₀ cartridges. The diol and silica cartridges only had good retention for lutein. The optimized SPE method for sample pretreatment for the carotenoids analysis was obtained after the investigation of trapping performance. The method was applied successfully to the analysis of biological sample, i.e. serum and human breast milk. The recovery, accuracy, and precision of SPE method comparing with those of traditional liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) method for the sample pretreatment for the analysis of carotenoids owned a number of advantages such as rapid, no chloroform used, and accurate versus LLE.     

Methodological approach for evaluating operational parameters and the characterization of a popular sorbent for solid-phase extraction by high pressure liquid chromatography

The kinetic and retention properties of a silica-based octadecylsiloxane bonded phase sorbent used in solid-phase extraction (SPE) were determined by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). This sorbent had a high bonded phase density resulting in a material with very low intraparticle porosity. This led to favorable retention and mass transfer properties over the normal sampling flow rate range. Typical cartridges for SPE have a low and variable packing density which is recognized as a significant cause of poor sampling performance and, under some circumstances, results in poor repro-ducibility. The apparent particle size for the sorbent at 55–57 μm is considerably larger than generally indicated in the trade literature but this is not detrimental to its use for SPE since sorbent cartridges are able to function adequately with only a few theoretical plates. Solute size is identified as the primary driving force for sorbent retention under SPE conditions with polar interactions favoring retention in the aqueous mobile phase and a decrease in the breakthrough volume. All parameters required to predict the optimum sampling conditions, breakthrough volume and recovery in SPE can be conveniently obtained from data generated by HPLC. The sampling characteristics of particle-loaded membranes are compared to those of conventional sorbent cartridges and differences in operating characteristics which affect the sampling efficiency for both devices are discussed.     

Application of graphene for the analysis of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater

A novel and reliable analytical method based on a graphene adsorbent for solid-phase extraction (SPE) derivatized with N-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-N- methyltrifluoroacetamide and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was developed for determination of nine pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in wastewater samples. Different ratios of graphene/silica gel were tested, with 20 % graphene/silica gel giving the best performance as an SPE adsorbent. The mean recoveries of the target analytes obtained by 20 % graphene/silica gel SPE ranged from 58.1 to 87.6 %. The limit of quantification ranged from 30 to 259 ng/L and from 13 to 115 ng/L for the influent and effluent, respectively. By comparing the accuracy and precision of 20 % graphene/silica gel and Oasis HLB SPE cartridges, we demonstrated that the method can be satisfactorily used for the analysis of PPCPs in wastewater samples. We applied the method to wastewater samples from a sewage treatment plant near Riverside, California, to track the concentration change of PPCPs in the treatment processes.     

饮用水中9种卤乙酸的超高效液相色谱法测定

建立了固相萃取/超高效液相色谱(SPE/UPLC)测定饮用水中9种痕量卤乙酸(HAAs)的分析方法.对固相萃取和液相色谱等分析条件进行了优化,选择Lichrolut EN固相萃取小柱富集饮用水中的HAAs,三乙胺-磷酸缓冲液和甲醇作为UPLC的流动相.在优化的分析条件下,9种卤乙酸在6min内实现基线分离,所有目标物在一定质量浓度范围内线性良好,相关系数为0.995 7～0.9999;一氯乙酸(MCAA)的检出限为10.85μg/L,其它8种化合物的检出限为0.25～0.70μg/L;除MCAA外,其它目标物在低、中、高3种加标水平的回收率为60%～106%.方法的相对标准偏差(RSD,n=5)为2.0%～5.7%.将此方法应用于我国北方某城市自来水中卤乙酸的测定,5种HAAs被检出.方法灵敏度高、简便快捷,可用于生活饮用水中痕量卤乙酸的测定.     

On-line coupling of solid-phase extraction with mass spectrometry for the analysis of biological samples. II. Determination of clenbuterol in urine using multiple-stage mass spectrometry in an ion-trap mass spectrometer

Solid-phase extraction (SPE) was coupled to ion-trap mass spectrometry to determine clenbuterol in urine. For SPE a cartridge exchanger was used and, after extraction, the eluate was directly introduced into the mass spectrometer. For two types of cartridges, i.e. C18 and polydivinylbenzene (PDVB), the total SPE procedure (including injection of 1 mL urine, washing, and desorption) has been optimised. The total analysis, including SPE, elution, and detection, took 8.5 min with PDVB cartridges, while an analysis time of 11.5 min was obtained with C18 cartridges. A considerable amount of matrix was present after extraction of urine over C18 cartridges, resulting in significant ion suppression. With PDVB cartridges, the matrix was less prominent, and less ion suppression was observed. For single MS, a detection limit (LOD) of about 25 ng/mL was found with PDVB cartridges. With C18 cartridges an LOD of only about 50 ng/mL could be obtained. Applying tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) did not lead to an improved LOD due to an interfering compound. However, a considerable improvement in the LOD was obtained with MS3. The selectivity and sensitivity were increased by the combination of efficient fragmentation of clenbuterol and reduction of the noise. Detection limits of 2 and 0.5 ng/mL were obtained with C18 and PDVB cartridges, respectively. The ion suppression was 4 to 45% (concentration range: 250 to 1.0 ng/mL) after extraction of urine using PDVB cartridges, and up to 70% ion suppression was observed using C18 cartridges. With MS4, no further improvement in selectivity and sensitivity was achieved, due to inefficient fragmentation of clenbuterol and no further reduction of noise.