Solvent removal/thermal desorption (SRTD) for extract concentration and capillary column injection

Many solvent extracts must be concentrated prior to analysis. Both Kuderna-Danish (K-D) concentration and inert gas blowdown are commonly used. Significant losses often occur with the latter. Solvent removal/thermal desorption (SRTD) on a precolumn was investigated here as an alternative or supplement to these methods. The compounds studied included polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs). SRTD was carried out by injecting 100 μL of extract into a cartridge-type precolumn, selectively volatilizing the solvent with a stream of carrier gas, then thermally desorbing the analytes to a fused silica capillary gas chromatography (GC) column. The mean total recoveries and mean standard errors obtained were 109 and ±12%, respectively. SRTD was found to give sharper peaks than were obtainable with on-column injection. Method detection limits accessible for PCBs by capillary GC with electron impact mass spectrometry with the assistance of SRTD were estimated. Overall, SRTD was found to be an effective, rapid, high recovery concentration method for solvent extracts.     

Comparison of extraction techniques of robenidine from poultry feed samples

In this paper, effectiveness of six different commonly applied extraction techniques for the determination of robenidine in poultry feed has been compared. The sample preparation techniques included shaking, Soxhlet, Soxtec, ultrasonically assisted extraction, microwave – assisted extraction and accelerated solvent extraction. Comparison of these techniques was done with respect to the recovery extraction, temperature and time, reproducibility and solvent consumption. Every single extract was subjected to clean – up using aluminium oxide column (Pasteur pipette filled with 1 g of aluminium oxide), from which robenidine was eluted with 10 ml of methanol. The eluate from the clean-up column was collected in a volumetric flask, and finally it was analysed by HPLC–DAD–MS. In general, all extraction techniques were capable of isolating of robenidine from poultry feed, but the recovery obtained using modern extraction techniques was higher than that obtained using conventional techniques.

In particular, accelerated solvent extraction was more superior to other techniques, which highlights the advantages of this sample preparation technique. However, in routine analysis, shaking and ultrasonically assisted extraction is still the preferred method for the solution of robenidine and other coccidiostatics.     

Determination of Trace Amounts of Organic Pollutants in the Yellow River by Capillary Column Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

The trace organic pollutants in the Yellow River enriched by a solvent extraction method were pre-separated into four different fractions of fatty hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polar compounds and organic acids and were analyzed by the use of combined capillary column gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Using the combined techniques of relative retention value, mass spectra and mass chromatogram, more than 60 organic pollutants were identified, among which 16 fatty hydrocarbons and 6 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which were quantitatively analyzed. The concentration range of fatty hydrocarbon was 5–800 ng/l, and that of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon was 0-90ng/l.     

Production and Characteristics of the Whole-Cell Lipase from Organic Solvent Tolerant <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Burkholderia</Emphasis> sp. ZYB002

The thermostable and organic solvent tolerant whole-cell lipase (WCL) was produced by Burkholderia sp. ZYB002 with broad spectrum organic solvent tolerance. The production medium of the WCL was primarily optimized, which resulted in the maximum activity of 22.8 U/mL and the 5.1-fold increase of the WCL yield. The optimized culture medium was as follows (% w/v or v/v): soybean meal 2, soybean oil 0.5, manganese sulfate 0.1, K₂HPO₄ 0.1, olive oil 0.5, initial pH 6.0, inoculum density 2, liquid volume 35 mL in 250-mL Erlenmeyer flask, and incubation time 24 h. The biochemical characterization of the WCL from Burkholderia sp. ZYB002 was determined, and the results showed that the optimal pH and temperature for lipolytic activity of the WCL was 8.0 and 65°C, respectively. The WCL was stable at temperature up to 70°C for 1 h and retained 79.2% of its original activity. The WCL was highly stable in the pH range from 3.0 to 8.5 for 6 h. Ca²⁺, K⁺, Na⁺, NO₃⁻, etc. ions stimulated its lipolytic activity, whereas Zn²⁺ ion caused inhibition effect. The WCL was also relatively stable in n-butanol at a final concentration of 50% (v/v) for 24 h. However, the WCL was strongly inhibited in Triton X-100 at a final concentration of 10% (v/v). The WCL with thermal resistance and organic solvent tolerance showed its great potential in various green industrial chemical processes.     

Solid and Homogeneous Extractions

Abstract

Improved techniques for micro and enrichment extractions are described. Molten organic compounds are employed as solvents and removal of the extracted material is facilitated after solidification of the solvent. “Homogeneous extraction” has been achieved by using solid solvents exhibiting increased solubility at elevated temperatures or by volatilization of an added mediating solvent.     

GC Analysis of Organic Acids and Phenols Using On-Line Methylation with Trimethylsulfonium Hydroxide and PTV Solvent Split Large Volume Injection

The combination of on-line methylation using trimethylsulfonium hydroxide with large volume injection of 100 μL was evaluated for the analysis of organic acids and phenols in water. Solvent split injection was applied with complete evaporation of the solvent before analytes were transferred onto the GC column. Despite complete solvent removal, losses were very low compared to conventional splitless injection even for volatile acidic compounds such as propionic acid and phenol. This is explained by intermediate formation of low volatility trimethylsulfonium salts of the analytes which were held in the injector for long evaporation times of up to 10 min, if the evaporation temperature was as low as 10°C. Using a simple liquid/liquid extraction procedure, volatile fatty acids, dicarboxylic acids, benzoic acids and phenols could be detected in 5 mL of water at concentrations of 0.04–0.1 μmol/L with GC/MS in full scan mode. Lactic, pyruvic, and also malonic acids could only be detected at higher levels because of their limited extractability from water as well as their poorer methylation yields. The method provides an easy way to sensitively detect acidic compounds of medium to high volatility in water. It was applied for screening of organic acids and phenols in batch cultures of anaerobic bacteria of which one example is shown.     

Co-solvent effects for preventing broadening or loss of early eluted peaks when using concurrent solvent evaporation in capillary GC. Part 1: Concept of the technique

The concept and some first results of a method are described for evaporating large volumes of solvent in a relatively short pre-column (retention gap) in such a way that solvent trapping retains volatile components in the inlet up to completion of solvent evaporation. The method was developed for transferring large volumes (easily exceeding 1 ml) of HPLC eluent to GC when using on-line coupled HPLC-GC, but is equally suited for injecting large sample volumes (at least some 50 μl) and could be particularly useful for introducing aqueous solutions. Concurrent solvent evaporation allows introduction of very large volumes of liquid into GC. However, peaks eluted up to some 40–80° above the column temperature during introduction of the liquid are strongly broadened due to the absence of solvent trapping. On the other hand, previous retention gap techniques involving solvent trapping were not suited for transferring very large volumes of liquid into GC. Using a relatively high boiling co-solvent added to the sample or the HPLC eluent, advantages of concurrent solvent evaporation can be combined with solute reconcentration by solvent effects, allowing elution of sharp peaks starting at the column temperature during introduction of the sample.     

A novel method: ionic liquid-based ultrasound-assisted extraction of polyphenols from Chinese purple yam

Chinese purple yam is famous for therapeutic and nutritional values in lowering blood glucose, blood pressure and even preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases. However, traditional extraction techniques for the functional polyphenolic compounds mostly utilise unfriendly organic solvent and easily cause degradation of polyphenols. In this study, a novel ionic liquid-based ultrasound-assisted extraction (IL-UAE) technique was utilised to obtain polyphenols. The optimal extraction condition included: solid–liquid ratio (0.05 g/mL), ionic liquid concentration (1.05 M), extraction temperature (67°C) and ultrasonic time (37 min). The maximum free radical scavenging activity (86.21%) and total antioxidant activity (2.21 mM) were achieved and matched well with the predicted values, superior to that of the extract from regular ethanol-based UAE. IL-UAE could be a rapid and green technique for efficient extraction of polyphenols from purple yam with low solvent consumption and few structural deterioration, exhibiting application potential in food and pharmaceutical industries.     

The Use of Automated Headspace Gas Chromatography for Determination of 1,1,1-Trichloroethane in Rat Blood and Brain Tissue

Abstract

1,1,1-trichloroethane in blood and brain tissue from rats which had been artificially ventilated with solvent (8000 ppm) was analysed by automated headspace gas chromatography using a fused silica capillary column. A given concentration of 1,1,1-trichloroethane in the brain could be correlated with a corresponding concentration in the blood; both the uptake and release of the solvent were quicker in blood than in brain. No volatile metabolites of the solvent were found. Automated headspace gas chromatographic analysis is a rapid and sensitive technique for the quantitative registration of volatile organic solvents, e.g. of industrial importance, in body fluids and tissues.     

Poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-maleic anhydride-styrene) grafted terpolymer: Synthesis,characterization, and bactericidal property evaluation against E. coli and S. epidermidis

Poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-maleic anhydride-styrene) terpolymer was prepared using AIBN initiator with acetone as solvent. The terpolymer was grafted with anti-bacterial agents para-aminobenzoic acid and 2,4-dichlorophenol to introduce bactericidal activity to the terpolymer. The terpolymer and the grafted polymers were characterized by FTIR, ¹H-NMR, and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopic methods. Thermal properties were determined by differential scanning calorimetric technique and thermogravimetric analysis. The glass transition temperature was found to be 111°C (terpolymer), 150°C (VMS-G-PABA) and 130°C (VMS-G-DCP). Terpolymer starts degradation at 288°C and grafted terpolymers at 104°C (VMS-G-PABA) and 129°C (VMS-G-DCP), respectively. The anti-bacterial activity of grafted terpolymers were evaluated by the shake flask method against gram positive and gram negative bacteria E. coli and S. epidermidis. The grafted terpolymers showed effective inhibition against both the bacteria, the minimum inhibition concentration was observed to be 75 µg/mL and 80 µg/mL for VMS-G-PABA and 50 µg/mL for VMS-G-DCP against E. coli and S. epidermidis, respectively. The new polymers showed 90% bacterial growth inhibition at 200 µg/mL.     

Use of volatile organic solvents in headspace liquid‐phase microextraction by direct cooling of the organic drop using a simple cooling capsule

A low‐cost and simple cooling‐assisted headspace liquid‐phase microextraction device for the extraction and determination of 2,6,6‐trimethyl‐1,3 cyclohexadiene‐1‐carboxaldehyde (safranal) in Saffron samples, using volatile organic solvents, was fabricated and evaluated. The main part of the cooling‐assisted headspace liquid‐phase microextraction system was a cooling capsule, with a Teflon microcup to hold the extracting organic solvent, which is able to directly cool down the extraction phase while the sample matrix is simultaneously heated. Different experimental factors such as type of organic extraction solvent, sample temperature, extraction solvent temperature, and extraction time were optimized. The optimal conditions were obtained as: extraction solvent, methanol (10 μL); extraction temperature, 60°C; extraction solvent temperature, 0°C; and extraction time, 20 min. Good linearity of the calibration curve (R² = 0.995) was obtained in the concentration range of 0.01–50.0 μg/mL. The limit of detection was 0.001 μg/mL. The relative standard deviation for 1.0 μg/mL of safranal was 10.7% (n = 6). The proposed cooling‐assisted headspace liquid‐phase microextraction device was coupled (off‐line) to high‐performance liquid chromatography and used for the determination of safranal in Saffron samples. Reasonable agreement was observed between the results of the cooling‐assisted headspace liquid‐phase microextraction high‐performance liquid chromatography method and those obtained by a validated ultrasound‐assisted solvent extraction procedure.     

Co-solvent effects for preventing broadening or loss of early eluted peaks when using concurrent solvent evaporation in capillary GC. Part 2: n-Heptane in n-pentane as an example

Co-solvent effects are applied to allow use of concurrent solvent evaporation for applications requiring analysis of compounds eluted less than some 50° above the column temperature during sample introduction, i.e. at oven temperatures below some 100–120°C. Required conditions such as GC even temperature, concentration of the co-solvent and length of the uncoated pre-column (retention gap) are studied theoretically as well as experimentally for the case of n-heptane as co-solvent in n-pentane.     

Factors Affecting the Separation of Arginine Vasopressin Peptide Diastereoisomers by HPLC

Abstract

Experimental conditions and parameters involved in HPLC separations of the peptide hormone arginine vasopressin and some of its diastereoisomers on several reverse phase columns were investigated. The effects of percent carbon loading on an octadecyl reverse phase column, carbon chain length of the bonded phase, concentration of the buffer, and organic solvent were examined. Using the appropriate solvent systems, arginine vasopressin was separated from each of its diastereoisomers with most solvent systems studied, but the order of elution of the diastereoisomers was dependent on the column employed. Separation of the peptides was only part of the goal. A continuing study to understand the interactions of the peptides with the stationary phase as a function of structure was also undertaken. This lead to the conclusion that the choice of column as well as solvent affect the separation of peptide diastereoisomers and that both the eluting strength of the mobile phase and the stationary phase chemical composition must be considered.     

加速溶剂萃取-气相色谱-质谱法测定固体废物中酚类化合物

提出了气相色谱-质谱法测定固体废物中12种酚类化合物残留量的方法。样品以丙酮-二氯甲烷(2+3)混合液为萃取剂,经加速溶剂萃取仪提取后,在K-D浓缩装置上浓缩至1 mL,经硅胶柱净化后,用丙酮-二氯甲烷(1+9)混合液淋洗后再经K-D浓缩至1 mL,通过HP-5 MS石英毛细管色谱柱(30 m×0.25 mm,0.25μm)分离,采用电子轰击离子源选择离子监测模式进行质谱测定。12种酚类化合物的检出限(3S/N)在9.60～18.5μg.kg-1之间。以空白土壤样品为基体进行回收试验,测得回收率在74.7%～108.4%之间,测定值的相对标准偏差(n=7)均小于7.5%。     

Revised Method for Determination of Aspirin and Salicylic Acid in Human Plasma by High Pressure Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

The method for the analysis of aspirin and salicylic acid in human plasma has been updated to include advances in column technology, extraction procedures and absorbance detection. Aspirin and salicylic acid are extracted from acidified plasma into an organic solvent system containing internal standard. Following controlled evaporation under partial vacuum of the organic extract, the dried down-residue is reconstituted with mobile phase. Chromatography is ion suppression reverse phase on a 5 μm O.D.S. column with detection by absorbance at 237 nm and optional fluorescence. Concentration of aspirin as low as 0.20 μg/ml and salicyclic acid as low as 0.50 μg/ml can be quantitated.     

Determination of the calcium entry blocker verapamil in plasma by capillary gas chromatography with on-column injection

A specific, sensitive, and accurate assay for quantitation of verapamil has been developed. The method involves a single extraction step with n-heptane, followed by evaporation at room temperature under nitrogen. 0.1 μl of the extract was injected into a capillary column coated with crosslinked 5% phenylmethylsilicone. The column separated verapamil, norverapamil, and its internal standard within 15 minutes using temperature programming from 90 to 290°C. The lower limit of detection was 1 ng/ml for verapamil. The calibration curve was linear in the concentration range (5–300 ng/ml). Plasma concentration data from dogs receiving intravenous verapamil infusion are presented.     

Preparing Accurate Standard Gas Mixtures of Volatile Substances at Low Concentration Levels

A simple approach for preparing standard gas mixtures of environmentally important volatile organic substances for gas chromatographic calibration is described. A liquid solution of the volatile substance of interest in a suitable solvent is prepared in a flask at known low concentration. Then, an easily measurable volume of this solution containing a very minute amount of the analyte is injected into a fixed-volume vessel (e.g., a glass sampling bulb) that has been flushed with a dilutent gas (e.g., air, N₂, He). The generated gas-phase concentration of the substance after evaporation is easily calculated. This method allows students to prepare standard gas-phase mixtures at very low concentrations by direct injection of extremely small amounts into solution using a reasonable size microsyringe.     

Rapid Quantitation of Verapamil in Plasma by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

A simple and sensitive liquid chromatographic assay procedure using a fluorescence detector for the quantitative determination of verapamil in plasma without extraction was developed. After precipitating the protein with acetonitrile, the resulting supernatant liquid was injected onto the column for analysis. Chromatographic separation was achieved on C₁₈ reversed phase column and the eluting solvent was the isocratic mixture of methanol, acetonitrile and pH 3.0 glycine buffer (1:4:5). With this mobile phase the drug and its internal standard were well separated from the interference of the plasma sample. The average recovery of verapamil from 3 replicate samples of different concentration (100–600 ng/mL) were 95.5 ± 5.68%. The minimum amount of verapamil detectable by this method was 40 ng/mL of sample. The elimination half-life (β-phase) of this drug in rabbits was found to be 3.7 hours.     

Determination of Octadecylamine in Water by Quantitative High Performance thin Layer Chromatography

Abstract

Octadecylamine (ODA) was isolated from water by solvent extraction with ethylene dichloride or trapping on a micro Chromosorb column. The ODA in the extract or column eluent was chromatographed on a high performance silica gel layer, detected by spraying with ninhydrin, and quantified by reflectance densitometry. Recovery at 3 ppm averaged 81.3% using extraction and 94.0% with the column. Recovery at 0.3 ppm was 94.2% using the column procedure.     

Concurrent solvent evaporation for on-line coupled HPLC-HRGC

A technique is proposed which allows introduction of very large volumes of liquid (10 ml were tested) into capillary columns equipped with short (1–2 m long) retention gaps. It is based on concurrent solvent evaporation, i.e. evaporation of the solvent during introduction of the sample. The technique presupposes high carrier gas flow rates (at least during sample introduction) and column temperatures near the solvent boiling point. The major limitation of the method is the occurrence of peak broadening for solutes eluted up to 30°, in some cases up to 100°, above the injection temperature. This is due to the absence of solvent trapping and a reduced efficiency of phase soaking. Therefore, use of volatile solvents is often advantageous. Application of the concurrent solvent evaporation technique allows introduction of liquids which do not wet the retention gap surface. However, the method is still not very attractive for analysis of aqueous or water-containing solutions (reversed phase HPLC).