An ion-exchange group-separation scheme for rapid analysis of the components of neutron-activated biological tissues

A simple ion-exchange separation scheme has been developed for the separation of over 50 constituent chemical elements in biological tissues into 12 to 15 groups suitable for quantitative gamma-ray spectrometry. The scheme incorporates several important improvements and modifications of earlier radiochemical ion-exchange separation procedures, and allows rapid simultaneous quantitative analyses of a large number of constituent components in tissues. The procedures can easily be adapted for use with a variety of other materials and mixtures. The components of the various fractious are listed and their gamma-spectrometric analysis is discussed. The separation is comparatively quick, and yields clean and easily-identifiable components.     

Determination of Vitamin B12 in Multivitamin Tablets by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

Two procedures for separation and determination of vitamin B₁₂ in multivitamin tablets by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography are proposed. Sample preparation is very simple: tablets are dissolved in distilled water, centrifuged and filtered. The sample solution is directly applied in the sample loop injector and chromatograms are obtained with gradient elution using water-methanol and water-acetonitrile as solvents. The peak of vitamin B₁₂ from samples of B-complex tablets is well separated with the two procedures. For multivitamin tablets, however, only the procedure with water and methanol as solvents was good for separation and quantification of vitamin B₁₂. Both procedures were verified by the standard addition method and also compared to a previously developed method using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry for vitamin B₁₂ determination.     

Study on the systematic optimization of capillary electrophoresis using a controlled weighted centroid variable size simplex algorithm

The systematic optimization of capillary electrophoretic separations using a dynamic scouting optimum method-controlled weighted centroid variable size simplex algorithm is described. The factors affecting the efficiency of the separation are simultaneously considered during the optimization procedures. The established optimization method is applied to amino acid separation by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with on-column indirect UV detection and to the separation of local anesthetics by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MECC) with on-column UV detection. The optimization procedures include the pH and the background absorption electrolyte (BGAE) concentrations together with the applied voltage in the CZE separation of amino acids. The pH, the SDS concentrations together with the percentage of methanol are considered in the MECC separation of local anesthetics. Two methods, i.e., the Long Coefficient and Uniform Design Table, are used to define the start vertexes during the optimization procedure and similar final experimental conditions for the separations are achieved. Thirteen native amino acids are baseline separated by CZE and 4 local anesthetics are satisfactorily separated by MECC.     

High-performance liquid chromatography with post-column reaction detection for the determination of rare-earth elements in phosphoric acids produced for the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers

The isolation of rare elements (REE) from technical phosphoric acids and their determination by h.p.l.c. with post-column reaction detection are examined with different liqiud chromatographic techniques. A combination of procedures provides optimum analytical conditions. Twelve REE can be separated within 20 min by applying the following procedures: (i) separation of REE from calcium by addition of ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate to the sample solution, passage through a disposable column (SepPak C18), and use of dilute perchloric acid for desorption; (ii) separation of REE by using a chemically bonded strong cation-exchanger (Servachrom Si-100) and gradient elution with α-hydroxyisobutyric acid. The performance of this combination is discussed in relation to the restrictions imposed by the post-column reaction detector based on complexation with 4-(2-pyridylazo) resorcinol. Results obtaiend for two types of technical phosphoric acid are presented.     

Group-type separation and characterization of coal-derived liquids by high-performance liquid chromatography

Coal-derived products are extremely complex mixtures and very little information is available on their chemical composition. In order to obtain distinct fractions from coal liquids, a number of different separation techniques have been used. This paper gives a short overview of the general separation procedures with special emphasis on liquid chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography techniques using various stationary phases and mobile phase systems.     

Study on the systematic optimization of capillary electrophoresis using a controlled weighted centroid variable size simplex algorithm

The systematic optimization of capillary electrophoretic separations using a dynamic scouting optimum method-controlled weighted centroid variable size simplex algorithm is described. The factors affecting the efficiency of the separation are simultaneously considered during the optimization procedures. The established optimization method is applied to amino acid separation by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with on-column indirect UV detection and to the separation of local anesthetics by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MECC) with on-column UV detection. The optimization procedures include the pH and the background absorption electrolyte (BGAE) concentrations together with the applied voltage in the CZE separation of amino acids. The pH, the SDS concentrations together with the percentage of methanol are considered in the MECC separation of local anesthetics. Two methods, i.e., the Long Coefficient and Uniform Design Table, are used to define the start vertexes during the optimization procedure and similar final experimental conditions for the separations are achieved. Thirteen native amino acids are baseline separated by CZE and 4 local anesthetics are satisfactorily separated by MECC. Received: 10 November 1997 / Revised: 19 January 1998 / Accepted: 24 January 1998     

Studies on the extraction and separation of antimony with methyl iso-butyl ketone

Systematic studies are carried out on the extraction of tri-and pentavalent antimony with MIBK from pure acid halide solutions as well as from binary mixtures of each with sulphuric acid. The influence of KI on the extraction of antimony from sulphuric acid is also investigated. It is found that the extraction of antimony halides is highly affected by addition of sulphuric acid to the aqueous phase. The extractability of some other elements at the optimum conditions for antimony extraction is also studied in order to establish separation procedures. In the light of the obtained results, analytical advantages are mentioned and separation procedures are recommended. The extraction mechanism is also discussed in order to explain the role of sulphuric acid in the extraction equilibria.     

Anion-exchange separations of metal ions in thiocyanate media

The analytical potential of a weak-base macroreticular anion-exchange resin for the quantitative separation of metal ions in thiocyanate media is investigated and demonstrated. Distribution data are given for the sorption of some 25 metal ions from aqueous mixtures of potassium thiocyanate (1.0M or less) and 0.5M hydrochloric acid. The magnitude of the distribution data suggests many possible separations, some of which were quantitatively performed by procedures which are fast, simple and require only mild conditions. Representative separations are removal of traces of iron(III) and copper(II) from water samples prior to the determination of water hardness (calcium and magnesium), separation of nickel(II) from vanadium(IV) and the separation of thorium(IV) from titanium(IV). Some multicomponent separations are the separation of rare earths(III) and thorium(IV) from scandium(III) and the separation of rare earths(III) from iron(III) and uranium(VI).     

Electrophoretic chip for high-fidelity fractionation of double-stranded DNA

We report the high fidelity, on-chip fractionation of selected segments from an electrophoretic flow of separated fragments. dsDNA fragments (10-330 base pairs (bp)) were initially separated using a 6.5 cm long channel with an electric field strength of 150 V/cm. As an example of the fractionation process, a target fragment of 20 bp was selected and extracted from the separation channel. The extraction was confirmed and evaluated by fluorescence imaging. High resolution and extraction fidelity were achieved by introducing new procedures for (i) extraction channel-blocking and (ii) segment transfer with cleaning. These procedures are necessary for the development of a practical, fully automated multitarget fractionation electrophoretic chip. A kind of CCD image processing method was introduced to monitor, control, and evaluate the procedure of fractionation. The resolution limits of the separation and extraction are discussed.     

Modern separation techniques for the efficient workup in organic synthesis

The shift of paradigm in combinatorial chemistry, from large compound libraries (of mixtures) on a small scale towards defined compound libraries where each compound is prepared in an individual well, has stimulated the search for alternative separation approaches. The key to a rapid and efficient synthesis is not only the parallel arrangement of reactions, but simple work-up procedures so as to circumvent time-consuming and laborious purification steps. During the initial development stages of combinatorial synthesis it was believed that rational synthesis of individual compounds could only be achieved by solid-phase strategies. However, there are a number of problems in solid-phase chemistry: most notably there is the need for a suitable linker unit, the limitation of the reaction conditions to certain solvents and reagents, and the heterogeneous reaction conditions. Further disadvantages are: the moderate loading capacities of the polymeric support and the limited stability of the solid support. In the last few years several new separation techniques have been developed. Depending on the chemical problem or the class of compounds to be prepared, one can choose from a whole array of different approaches. Most of these modern separation approaches rely on solution-phase chemistry, even though some of them use solid-phase resins as tools (for example, as scavengers). Several of these separation techniques are based on liquid-liquid phase separation, including ionic liquids, fluorous phases, and supercritical solvents. Besides being benign with respect to their environmental aspects, they also show a number of advantages with respect to the work-up procedures of organic reactions as well as simplicity in the isolation of products. Another set of separation strategies involves polymeric supports (for example, as scavengers or for cyclative cleavage), either as solid phases or as soluble polymeric supports. In contrast to solid-phase resins, soluble polymeric supports allow reactions to be performed under homogeneous conditions, which can be an important factor in catalysis. At the same time, a whole set of techniques has been developed for the separation of these soluble polymeric supports from small target molecules. Finally, miscellaneous separation techniques, such as phase-switchable tags for precipitation by chemical modification or magnetic beads, can accelerate the separation of compounds in a parallel format.     

Anion-exchange in mixed solvent systems

A quantitative separation scheme for 15 radionuclides is presented. The scheme is based on group separation by means of anion-exchange resins using mixed solvent systems and subsequent separation of the groups into individual components by means of change of both eluting agent and resin type. The optimum working conditions for separation are established. Separation procedures are of good reproducibility and practically quantitative.     

Strategy-Level Separations in Organic Synthesis: From Planning to Practice

A dirty word in synthesis: separation! The normally unavoidable separation at the end of each reaction finds no friends among synthetic chemists and is often regarded as a technical procedure. However, the need to quickly and cheaply produce pure products is driving the development of new separation and purification techniques. Astonishingly, the modern concepts and techniques for coupling synthesis and separation are rooted in workup procedures that are as old as the art of synthesis itself.     

The determination of iodine in biological and environmental standard reference materials

Iodine is an element with excellent intrinsic sensitivity when determined by thermal neutron activation. However, in most real samples, the preponderance of chlorine and bromine, relative to iodine, makes the direct determination of iodine virtually impossible. Over the past 20 years, there probably have been as many publications on the separation of iodine as there have been for any other radionuclide. Upon review, however, the methods are essentially the same. After irradiation, the samples are subjected to a rapid destructive process to free the iodine from the matrix and then the iodine is separated from the other halides either by liquid-liquid extraction or by liquid ion exchange. Both of these procedures are, however, rather complex and do not effect a complete separation of the halides in one pass. In the work presented here, a simple procedure is described for the quantitative separation of iodine from chlorine. The procedure utilizes a gas phase separation on hydrated manganese dioxide with iodine collected on silvered quartz wool. The described procedure has been used for the determination of iodine in numerous new and old SRM's at the NBS.     

Polymer membranes with selective gas and vapor permeation properties

Since many years synthetic membranes have been used in reverse osmosis or ultrafiltration for the separation of aqueous mixtures. More recently the separation of gases and vapors by selective membrane permeation has gained significant technical and commercial interest. The recovery of hydrogen from petrochemical purge gases and ammonia production processes or the removal of CO₂ from natural gas by selective membrane permeation are today state of the art procedures. The recovery of organic solvents from waste air streams is another very promising application of synthetic membranes. In this paper the main parameters determining the performance of a membrane in gas and vapor separation are described. The requested intrinsic properties of the polymer to be useful as a barrier for a selective gas and vapor transport are discussed. The preparation of appropriate membranes is described. Their performance in practicle applications is illustrated in selected examples.     

Water‐soluble polymer‐metal complexes for liquid‐phase retention separation

The concept and the major features of the Liquid‐Phase Polymer‐Based Retention (LPR) separation are outlined. The fundamentals of the metal ion interaction with respect to enrichment and separation procedures are developed and the role of complex‐forming polymeric agents is discussed. The scope, major advancements, and typical application examples based on metal complexes are highlighted.     

Separation of phospholipids by high-performance liquid chromatography: all major classes, including ethanolamine and choline plasmalogens, and most minor classes, including lysophosphatidylethanolamine

High-performance liquid chromatographic methods for the separation and quantitation of phospholipids were developed and shown to give sensitive, reliable measurements of tissue phospholipids, including difficult-to-resolve pairs such as choline plasmalogen (plasmenylcholine) and phosphatidylcholine, choline glycerophospholipids and sphingomyelin, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylserine and lysophosphatidylethanolamine. Separations of most phospholipids including those mentioned above are more complete than in existing procedures, and require only 40 min per injection. Utilization of the hexane-2-propanol-water system has an advantage over separation techniques that employ acidic solvents in that the plasmalogens are not hydrolyzed and a less degradative environment for labile lipids is provided. Further, a rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure for the separation of intact ethanolamine plasmalogen (plasmenylethanolamine) from phosphatidylethanolamine was developed. Previous procedures have required derivatized samples or acid hydrolysis of the plasmalogen vinyl ether linkage. A slight modification of the primary method (method I) increases the resolution of lysophosphatidylethanolamine from other classes (method II). A third modification (method III) can replace the standard silicic acid column separation of lipids into neutral, glycolipid, and phospholipid fractions.     

Progress in liquid chromatography of synthetic electroneutral polymers

Recent achievements and anticipated future progress in high performance liquid chromatography of synthetic electroneutral polymers (polymer HPLC) are briefly reviewed. Basic retention mechanisms of polymer HPLC are explained and corresponding separation procedures are discussed. Advantages, drawbacks and pitfalls are presented of the most important polymer HPLC method, namely size exclusion chromatography. Principles of polymer HPLC methods combining various separation mechanisms within one chromatographic column (coupled procedures) or in a set of different chromatographic columns (two- and multi-dimensional procedures) are outlined.     

Properties of two amide‐based hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography columns

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography is a separation technique suitable for the separation of moderately and highly polar compounds. Various stationary phases (SPs) for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography are commercially available. While the SPs based on the same type of ligand are available from different providers, they can display a distinct retention characteristics and separation selectivity. The current work is focused on characterization and comparison of the separation systems of two amide‐based HPLC columns from two producers, i.e. XBridge Amide column and TSK gel Amide‐80 column. Several characterization procedures (tests) were used to investigate the differences between these columns. The chromatographic behavior of selected analytes indicates that multimodal interactions are responsible for retention and separation on these columns. Multiple testing approaches were used in order to reveal subtle differences between the SPs. Both amide‐based columns showed certain differences in retention, selectivity, and plate counts. Based on the tests used in this study, we conclude that the investigated columns provide a different degree of H‐bonding interactions.     

Comparison of ion chromatography and capillary electrophoresis for the determination of inorganic ions

The techniques of ion chromatography and capillary electrophoresis are compared as analytical methods for the determination of inorganic anions and cations. Comparison is made in the areas of stage of development, separation efficiency, separation selectivity, analytical performance parameters, method development procedures, applications, strenghts and weaknesses, and future directions. It is shown that the two techniques are complementary rather than competitive, especially with regard to their separation selectivities and the type of applications to which they are most suited.     

Development of an integrated sieve-crucible assembly for sequential operation of liquid salt separation and vacuum distillation

The solid cathode processing is necessary to separate salt from the cathode product for the preparation of a uranium ingot with a high purity in the pyroprocess. The capacity of a salt distiller should be sufficiently large to reach the throughput of uranium electro-refining process. In this study, an assembly composing a liquid separation sieve and a distillation crucible was developed for the sequential operation of a liquid salt separation and a vacuum distillation in the same tower. The feasibility of the sequential salt separation was examined by the rotation test of the sieve-crucible assembly and sequential operation of a liquid salt separation and a vacuum distillation. The adhered salt in the uranium deposits was removed successfully. The salt content in the deposits was below 0.1 wt% after the sequential operation of the liquid salt separation—salt distillation. From the results of this study, it could be concluded that efficient salt separation can be realized by the sequential operation of liquid salt separation and vacuum distillation in one distillation tower since the operation procedures are simplified and no extra operation of cooling and reheating is necessary.