A Miniaturized Precolumn for On-Line Trace Enrichment and Direct Plasma Injection in Narrow-Bore Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

A precolumn for on-line trace enrichment in narrow-bore liquid chromatography has been designed and some critical parameters like precolumn length, inlet capillary I.D. and flow-rate have been studied. The precolumn allows direct injection of plasma and serum samples without any previous clean-up. Due to the trace enrichment, concentration sensitivity is improved 50-fold when 100 μl samples are applied as compared to standard micro-loop injections of 0.5 μl. The applicability of the system has been demonstrated by the analysis of the anti-cancer drug etoposide (VP-16) in human plasma with comparable or even better results than those obtained with conventional-size systems.     

Precolumn,Capillary Column,Electron Capture G-AS Chromatography For High Efficiency Trace Determination

Abstract

A method for gas chromatographic trace determination is described in which the sample solution is injected into a packed precolumn which is connected to an EC-detector. When solvent and low boiling compounds have been eluted, the precolumn is connected to the cold entry of a capillary column with another EC-detector and the trace compound is collected as a narrow band at the entry of this column. The precolumn is then reconnected to its own detector, the capillary column is heated and the trace compound is eluted and measured. Meanwhile high boiling compounds are swept out of the precolumn. When the base line of the precolumn is stable the next sample is injected and the capillary column is cooled again, and so on. In order to avoid background plateaus and ghost peaks the carrier gas must be purified, which is easily achieved with cooling traps with dry-ice and acetone.     

Optimization of An On-Line Precolumn Preconcentration Method for the Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Water Samples (River and Sea Water)

Abstract

A new on-line precolumn preconcentration method for the determination of EPA priority pollutants (PAHs) in river and sea water has been developed. The retention time for each PAH in the precolumn has been determined for several percentages of organic solvent (acetonitrile) in the sample. This is very important because recoveries show a great dependence on this parameter.

The proposed procedure, combined with HPLC and spectrofluorimetric detection, reaches very low detection limits (subnanograms per liter) and it has been applied to river and sea water samples with good results.     

Quantitative Analysis of Terbutaline (Bricanyl®) in Human Plasma with Liquid Chromatography and Electrochemical Detection Using On-Line Enrichment

Abstract

A liquid chromatographic method with electrochemical detection (LC-EC) has been developed for the quantitative analysis of terbuta-line in the range 5–50 pmole ml^?1 of human plasma. Terbutaline is isolated from 2 ml of plasma on an ion-exchange column and the eluate is concentrated on a hydrophobic precolumn on-line in the chromatographic system. The precolumn is then back-flushed for further separation onto a hydrophobic analytical column. The mobile phase is a methanol-aqueous buffer to which sodium perchlorate is added to achieve resolution from interfering peaks. A glassy carbon electrode is used for detection. Comparison has been made with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to examine the accuracy of the method.     

Analysis of Trace Levels of Volatile Organic Contaminants in Municipal Drinking Water by Glass Capillary Gas Chromatography Using Simultaneous Flame Ionization and Electron Capture Detection

Abstract

A glass capillary gas chromatographic system using simultaneous flame ionization (FID) and electron capture (ECD) detection has been employed for the analysis of trace volatile organic pollutants in a municipal drinking water supply. The use of dual detectors with glass capillary columns allows resolution and detection of both halogenated and non-halogenated compounds simultaneously at less than microgram per liter (ppb) concentrations. By using diethyl ether as a solvent in preparing standard solutions of volatile organic compounds, standardization is made more accurate due to a reduction in solvent masking of early eluting peaks of interest. Additionally, ether shows promise for use in an internal standard method for quantification of VOA. These techniques were found to alleviate problems previously encountered in the analysis of purgeable organics and are described.     

Trace Enrichment and HPLC Analysis of Chlorophenols in Environmental Samples,Using Precolumn Sample Preconcentration and Electrochemical Detection

Abstract

A HPLC method has been developed for trace analysis of chlorophenols in the 0.2–2 ppb range from spiked water samples. Simple liquid-liquid extraction followed by on-line preconcentration of total mono- and dichlorophenols has been performed using a divinylbenzene-styrene copolymeric sorbent (PRP₁) as packing material for the precolumn. The chlorophenols have been eluted from the precolumn on an analytical column (5μm LiChrosorb RP-18, 12.5 cm × 4 mm) by use of a switching valve system followed by separation. Detection was carried out with an electrochemical detector. The linearity of the detector response has been proved over two orders of magnitude. The detection limit of chlorophenols by means of the electrochemical method is in the lower picogram range. The recoveries of the isomeric chlorophenols from spiked river water samples having initial concentrations of 2ppb are usually 70–90%. The procedure has been applied to drinking water and river water.     

Amperometric Immunosensor for the Detection of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid (2,4-D) in Water

ABSTRACT

An amperometric immunosensor for the determination of the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) in water has been developed using sequential injection analysis techniques. The system is based on a rapid competitive enzyme immunoassay employing an alkaline phosphatase-labeled monoclonal antibody directed against the herbicide and an immunoreactor with 2,4-D immobilized via bovine serum albumin either to Eupergit in a column or directly to the surface of a glass capillary. The detection limit of the immunosensor at 0.1 μg 2,4-D/l without enrichment of the analyte makes automatic measurements of 2,4-D in drinking and ground water feasible.     

A ChemiluminesClent Precolumn Labelling Reagent for High-Performance Liquid Chromatography of Amino Acids

Abstract

A chemiluminescent tag for precolumn derivatization of amino acids has been developed. The tag, 4-isocyanatophthalhydrazide, couples with 17 amino acids tested, including proline and hydroxyproline, in less than ten minutes. Twelve derivatized amino acids have been separated and detected with an average detection limit of 10 femptomoles per 20 μL injection.     

Determination of Arene Oxides by a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry System: Thermal Reactions of 9, 10-Epoxy-9, 10-Dihydrophenanthrene

Abstract

An analytical technique involving the use of a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer-computer system, has been developed to detect arene oxides using 9, 10-epoxy-9, 10-dihydro-phenanthrene as a model substrate. The gas chromatograph was equipped with a hydrogen flame ionization detector and a high-resolution glass capillary column coated with SE-52 (methyl phenyl silicone). Two simultaneous thermal reactions (deoxygenation and rearrangement) of 9, 10-epoxy-9, 10-dihydrophenanthrene in the gas chromatograph were observed. The method developed was compared with a conventional method utilizing a packed glass column. Under the latter conditions neither thermal reactions nor 9, 10-epoxy-9, 10-dihydrophenanthrene were detected. The identification of the reactant and products was achieved by comparison of retention times and mass spectral fragmentation patterns obtained from authentic samples.     

Separation of Aldoses and Alditols Using Thermostable Open Tubular Glass Capillary Columns

Abstract

Successful GLC separation of complex mixtures of aldoses and alditols has been achieved. Aldoses are analyzed as the poly-O-acetylaldonic nitriles (Wohl derivatives), and polyols are analyzed as the polyacetyl esters. When mixtures of aldoses and alditols are subjected to the conditions of the Wohl synthesis, each component forms a single derivative. Terminal dissymmetry is retained for aldoses. Analyses are made using 60 m SE-30 open tubular glass capillary columns with temperature programming.     

Optimization in the Formaldehyde Determination at Sub-PPM Level from Acetals by HPLC-DAD

ABSTRACT

Determination of formaldehyde at sub-ppm level as impurity in acetals using HPLC-DAD is described. Automated on-line precolumn derivatization reaction with 2,4 dinitrophenylhydrazine has been used. Breakdown rates of some industrial scale used acetals (Methylal, Ethylal) to formaldehyde by hydrolysis in aqueous media, according to pH, are described.     

High Performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Amino Acids in Biological Samples by Precolumn Derivatization with O-Phthaldialdehyde

Abstract

A suitable gradient system has been developed for rapid analysis of amino acids in biological samples using O-phthaldialdehyde as a precolumn derivatizing agent and fluorescence detection. Resolution of 21 amino acids has been accomplished with 3 μm Ultrasphere ODS column by using a multi-step gradient system of two solvents (0.1M sodium acetate, pH 7.2/methanol:tetrahydrofuran) in less than 1 hour. Within-assay and between-assay coefficients of variation of retention times and fluorescence yield show good reproducibility. The fluorometric detection response is linear from 25 to 500 pmoles with a minimum detection limit of less than 1 pmol. High resolution, rapid analysis and high sensitivity of this method facilitates amino acid analysis in samples of less than 1 mg of tissue.     

Sampling and Analysis of Odorous Compounds in Water Treatment Plants

Abstract

The following analytical method has been used to identify some odorous compounds in the air of the water treatment plant Werdholzli, Zurich: sampling of contaminated air with the help of activated carbon, desorption by the solvents carbon disulphide and methylene chloride, separation of the carbon disulfide extract into a polar and a nonpolar fraction by adsorption column chromatography on silica. Hereafter gaschromatographic analysis of the polar fraction on glass capillary column (Ucon HB 5100); detection and identification were achieved by flame ionisation, thermoionic nitrogen selective detector and computerized mass spectrometry (Finnigan 3200 F, data system 6110).

The results show the presence of sulfur compounds: thiophenes, thiazoles; nitrogen compounds: pyrazines; oxygen compounds: phenols, alcohols and some unsatured hydrocarbons. The malodorous compounds were sulfur and nitrogen compounds in the range of 0.01-0.1 ppm.     

Glass Capillary Columns In The Gas Chromatographic And Gas Chkomatocraphic-Mass Spectrometry Determination Of Trace Levels Of Kepone In Natural Waters

Abstract

The application of high-resolution glass capillary columns to the analysis for Kepone in environmental samples by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is described. Glass capillary columns make possible the rapid screening and analysis of Kepone at a lower detection limit of 2 ng/L in natural waters. However, even with the aid of glass capillary columns, electron capture determinations for Kepone are suDJect to error. The use of isopropanol in solutions containing Kepone was found to reduce the variability of the Kepone detector response by as much as six times. A discussion concerning the intricacies of Kepone analysis in natural waters is given.     

Ethyl acetate for the desorption of a liquid chromatographic precolumn on-line into a gas chromatograph

The feasibility of using ethyl acetate for the desorption of trace pollutants from a liquid chromatographic precolumn on-line into a diphenyltetramethyldisilazane-deactivated retention gap and, subsequently analysis by means of capillary gas chromatography has been demonstrated. First 5% of methanol are added to the water sample to prevent sorption of analytes onto parts of the preconcentration system. About 1 ml of this aqueous sample is injected onto a precolumn containing a polymeric stationary phase, using water–methanol (95:5, v/v) for transport and clean-up. The precolumn is desorbed with ethyl acetate and a fraction of 75 μl is injected on-line into the retention gap; separation is then achieved on a capillary CP Sil 19 column. No breakthrough of the test compounds was observed in the preconcentration step. The recovery was quantitative and the response obtained with flame ionization detection was linear in the range 0.1–100 ng/ml. The effect of varying the sorption flow rate on the recovery was studied. The system was applied to the analysis of river water.     

Capillary supercritical fluid chromatography with flame photometric detection using a large bore column SFC pumping system

A commercially available instrument with an SFC pumping system suitable for wide bore columns (4.6 mm i.d.) has been modified for capillary supercritical fluid chromatography (CSFC) by incorporating a double-stage flow splitter. The first flow splitter was installed in front of the sample injection valve in order to avoid a high solute split ratio. The second splitter was mounted in the column oven so that the injected sample (0.2 μL) would be split to the capillary column. In order to perform pressure programmed elution, a pressure regulating system equipped with a gradient programmer has been used. Flame photometric detection was optimized for the analysis of organosulfur compounds by CSFC. In this study, detection limits were found to be 6–14 ng and the experimentally determined exponent (n value) varied from 1.721 to 1.984 depending on the compounds tested. Sulfur- and phosphorus-containing thermally labile pesticides can be chromatographed and selectively detected by using CSFC/FPD in either sulfur- or phosphorus mode, respectively.     

The Separation of Volatile N-Nitrosamines and Pyrazines

Abstract

Peaks on a gas chromatogram due to pyrazines and N-nitrosamines may be differentiated by selective adsorption of the pyrazines on a precolumn containing cuprous thiocyanate.     

Separation of Orthophthalaldehyde/Ethanethiol Derivatives of Taurine and Closely Eluting Amino Acids by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

In studies of the reverse phase, HPLC analysis of amino acids employing precolumn derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde and ethanethiol, it was shown that α-amino-n-butyric acid, β-amino-isobutyric acid and taurine coeluted in the acetonitrile/aqueous phosphate solvent system. By using a ternary solvent system of acetonitrile/tetrahydrofuran/aqueous phosphate buffer and efficient 5- and 10-μm octadecylsilane packings, the co-elution problem has been resolved. This modified chromatographic system is now being used to quantitatively determine taurine and other closely eluting amino acids in a variety of physiological fluids in order to clarify the role of taurine in human development.     

Study of Interfacial Tension Between Glass and Polyethylene Capillaries in Highly Concentrated Electrolyte Solutions

Abstract

The polyethylene capillary used for dropping mercury electrodes (D.M.E.) has permitted the study of interfacial tension by a drop time method in highly concentrated solutions. The electrocapillary curves were obtained for the aqueous solutions of KF, NaOH and KCL. The measurements evince that there is a difference between results obtained using glass and polyethylene capaillaries. The difference increases with the concentration of the electrolyte. We attribute that fact to wetting of the polyethylene capillary by mercury.     

Pressure Capillary Spot-Test for the Detection of Pollutants in Crops,Vegetation and Environment

Abstract

A new, simple, sensitive and selective technique, pressure capillary spot test, has been developed for the detection and determination of pollutants containing amino, carbonyl, carboxylic or phenolic groups. The pressure has been reduced with the help of a suction pump and a capillary containing p-diemthylaminobenzaldehyde has been used as detector for the semi-quantitative determination of plant growth regulators, indoleacetic acids, in wheat shoots.