A study on separation and extraction of four main alkaloids in Macleaya cordata (Willd) R. Br. with strip dispersion hybrid liquid membrane

A technique based on strip dispersion hybrid liquid membrane was developed for the separation and extraction of four main alkaloids from fruits of Macleaya cordata (Willd) R. Br. A microporous polypropylene membrane impregnated with an organic membrane solution comprised the heart of the strip dispersion hybrid liquid membrane system. The membrane solution was made by dissolving a cationic carrier, di‐(2‐ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid in an inexpensive, less toxic membrane solvent, kerosene. The transport of alkaloids from an aqueous feed solution through the membrane to a strip dispersion phase was driven by the concentration gradient of H⁺ and facilitated by di‐(2‐ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid. The effects of the extraction time and reuse times of the membrane, the strip solution composition, the carrier concentration, the volume ratio of the aqueous strip solution to the organic membrane solution, and the flow rates of the feed solution and the strip dispersion phase on the transport of alkaloids were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the permeability coefficients obtained for the four main alkaloids allocryptopine, protopine, sanguinarine, and chelerythrine were 1.66, 1.99, 2.98, and 3.06×10^?4 cm/s, and the transport efficiencies were as high as 68, 77, 83, and 85%, respectively.     

Rapid and sensitive determination of major polyphenolic components in Euphoria longana Lam. seeds using matrix solid‐phase dispersion extraction and UHPLC with hybrid linear ion trap triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

A rapid and sensitive method for the extraction and determination of four major polyphenolic components in Euphoria longana Lam. seeds is presented for the first time based on matrix solid‐phase dispersion extraction followed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with hybrid triple quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry. Matrix solid‐phase dispersion method was designed for the extraction of Euphoria longana seed constituents and compared with microwave‐assisted extraction and ultrasonic‐assisted extraction methods. An Ultra high performance liquid chromatography with hybrid triple quadrupole linear ion‐trap mass spectrometry method was developed for quantitative analysis in multiple‐reaction monitoring mode in negative electrospray ionization. The chromatographic separation was accomplished using an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C₁₈ (2.1 mm × 50 mm, 1.7 μm) column with gradient elution of 0.1% aqueous formic acid and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile. The developed method was validated with acceptable linearity (r² > 0.999), precision (RSD ≤ 2.22%) and recovery (RSD ≤ 2.35%). The results indicated that matrix solid‐phase dispersion produced comparable extraction efficiency compared with other methods nevertheless was more convenient and time‐saving with reduced requirements on sample and solvent volumes. The proposed method is rapid and sensitive in providing a promising alternative for extraction and comprehensive determination of active components for quality control of Euphoria longana products.     

Steady-migration retention characteristics of peptides under gradient elution: application towards a dynamic separation method for minor-adjustments of the retention of peptides in RPLC

Minor-adjustment of the retention of peptides, induced by varying the mobile phase flow-rate(MPF-R), is a new dynamic separation method for simultaneously and rapidly identifying and improving the selectivity of hidden and overlapping peptide peaks. It can also-stabilize the reverse elution order of some pair-peaks under gradient elution in reverse phase liquid chromatography. The retention characteristics of peptides under gradient elution in RPLC was firstly found to be dominated by two variables of the steady region(SR) and migration region(MR). The changes in peptide retention induced by varying the MPF-R can be attributed to changes in the rate of bond breaking of multiple molecular interactions of peptides from the SR and of the mass transfer of peptides from the stationary phase to the mobile phase in the MR. The two dynamic variables were also found to independently depend on the type of peptide. Desirable results were obtained using six standard oligopeptides and a real sample of trypsin-digested lysozyme.It is expected that the quality control of peptide drugs, high dispersion of peptide peaks in peptide mapping and "bottom-up MS"in proteomics will be improved by this method, even enabling peptide purification on a preparative scale in industry.     

强阳离子交换毛细管液相色谱-反相加压毛细管电色谱二维系统的构建及其在中药黄柏提取物分离中的应用

加压毛细管电色谱(pCEC)具有电泳和液相色谱的双重分离机理,其柱效高、选择性强、分辨率高和分离速度快并可进行梯度洗脱。我们在此基础上加入离子交换色谱模式,构建了强阳离子交换-反相加压毛细管液相色谱(micro strong cation exchange liquid chromatography/reversed phase pressurized capillary electrochromatography, μ-SCXLC/RP-pCEC)二维系统,并对中药黄柏的提取物进行了优化分离。第一维μ-SCXLC采用线性盐梯度分离,样品被切割成11个馏分洗脱收集后进入第二维,第二维脱盐后,采用RP-pCEC进行分离分析,梯度洗脱。以中药黄柏提取物为样品,此二维系统的分辨率和峰容量都较一维系统有很大提高,理论峰容量可达900左右,证明构建的二维体系非常适合复杂样品的分离分析。     

Rapid Extraction of Imidacloprid in Tomatoes by Ultrasonic Dispersion Liquid–Liquid Microextraction Coupled with LC Determination

A simple method for the extraction and determination of trace imidacloprid in tomatoes was developed using ultrasonic dispersion liquid–liquid microextraction coupled with liquid chromatographic separation. An ultrasonic dispersion process was applied to accelerate the formation of the fine cloudy solution without using disperser solvents, which was markedly increased the extraction efficiency and reduced the equilibrium time. The results revealed that tetrachloroethane as extraction solvent could be directly applied to the filtered tomato juice with the assistance of ultrasonic dispersion. Under the optimum condition, the enrichment factor of imidacloprid could reach 375 folds and the average recovery of samples ranged from 87.6 to 110% with RSD less than 4.5% (n = 3). Compared to the conventional sample pretreatment method, the proposed method had the advantage of short time, simple operation, high sensitivity and low consumption of organic solvent.     

Microfabricated refractive index gradient based detector for reversed-phase liquid chromatography with mobile phase gradient elution

Typical refractive index (RI) detectors for liquid chromatography (LC) are not well suited to application with mobile phase gradient elution, due to the difficulty in correcting for the detected baseline shift during the gradient. We report a sensitive, highly reproducible, microfabricated refractive index gradient (micro-RIG) detector that performs well with mobile phase gradient elution LC. Since the micro-RIG signal remains on-scale throughout the mobile phase gradient, one can apply a baseline correction procedure. We demonstrate that by collecting two mobile phase gradient blanks and subtracting one of them from the other, a reproducible, flat baseline is achieved. Therefore, subtracting a blank from a separation provides a baseline corrected chromatogram with reasonably high signal-to-noise ratio for eluting analytes. The micro-RIG detector uses a collimated diode laser beam to optically probe a RIG formed perpendicular to the laminar flow direction within a microfabricated borosilicate glass chip. The chip-based design of the detector is suitable for either traditional bench-top or LC-on-a-chip technologies. We report reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) separations of proteins and polymers, over mobile phase gradient conditions of 67% A:33% B to 3% A:97% B by volume, where A is 96% methanol:3.9% water:0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), and B is 3.9% methanol:96% water:0.1% TFA. The separations were performed on a Jupiter 5 mu C4 300 A 150 mm x 1.0 mm Phenomenex column at a flow rate of 20 microl/min. Viscosity changes during the mobile phase gradient separation are found to shift the on-chip merge position of the detected concentration gradient (i.e., RIG), in a reproducible fashion. However, this viscosity effect makes detection sensitivity vary throughout the mobile phase gradient, due to moving the optimized position of the probe beam in relation to the analyte concentration gradient being probed. None-the-less, consistent limits of detection (LODs) were achieved. The 3-sigma deflection angle LOD was 16 microrad for micro-RIG detection, corresponding to an injected concentration LOD of 7 ppm (mass/mass) for cytochrome c.     

A simplified device for protein identification by microcapillary gradient liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A simplified device and procedure have been developed for microcapillary gradient liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This procedure has proved useful in identifying low level quantities of proteins from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) gel bands. Microelectrospray needles are packed with reversed-phase resin and function both as a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column and a nanospray mass spectrometer tip when interfaced between an HPLC and ion trap mass spectrometer. Variable submicroliter flow rates are generated by flow splitting between the microelectrospray capillary and an HPLC system. A manual injector is used to inject a protein digest mixture that binds to the column and is then washed at a high flow rate (2 microL/min post split). Gradient elution of bound peptides was initiated by the injection of a filled loop of 70% v/v methanol (5 microL) concomitant with a reduction of flow rate (0.1 microL/min post split). This forms a diffusion-dependent gradient of variable length (typically 15-30 min in length) depending upon the final flow rate. Chromatographic separations of a standard solution digest demonstrate that this diffusion-dependent gradient provides reasonable separations such that multiple peptide identifications by MS/MS can be obtained. Application of this methodology to the analysis of several in-gel-digested gel-separated proteins is presented to demonstrate its utility.     

Micellar affinity gradient focusing: a new method for electrokinetic focusing

This report describes a new method for the concentration and separation of neutral and/or hydrophobic analytes based on a combination of the analytes' electrophoretic mobility, and affinity for partitioning into a micellar phase. Micellar affinity gradient focusing (MAGF) works by creating a gradient in the micellar retention factor. An electric field is applied along the channel to cause the (negatively charged) micelles to move from the region of high retention to the region of low retention, and the mobile phase is forced to move from the region of low retention to the region of high retention. Consequently, the analyte moves into the gradient region from both directions where it is concentrated at a point where its total velocity is zero. Different analytes, which interact differently with the micelles, will have zero total velocity at different points along the gradient, and will thereby be simultaneously concentrated and separated.     

Motion of drops on a surface induced by thermal gradient and vibration

It is well known that a liquid drop with a low contact angle (approximately 45 degrees ) and low wetting hysteresis moves toward the colder region of a temperature gradient substrate as a result of the thermal Marangoni force. A moderately sized water drop, however, usually does not move on such a surface because of the overwhelming effect of hysteresis. The water drop can, however, be forced to move when it is vibrated on a temperature gradient surface with its velocity exhibiting maxima at the respective Rayleigh frequencies. A simple model is presented that captures the dependence of drop velocity on hysteresis, vibration amplitude, and the forcing and resonance frequencies of vibration.     

液相色谱-串联质谱法测定花生中丙硫菌唑及其脱硫代谢物

建立了液相色谱-串联质谱(HPLC-MS/MS)同时检测花生中丙硫菌唑及其主要代谢物硫酮菌唑的方法.花生样品经乙腈提取后,用乙腈饱和的正己烷除掉脂类杂质,C18分散固相萃取净化样品.采用含有5 mmol/L乙酸铵、0.2％乙酸和乙腈作为流动相进行梯度洗脱,在电喷雾-多反应监测离子模式下进行定性与定量分析.丙硫菌唑和硫酮菌唑在2.0,4.0和20.0 μg/kg的添加浓度时回收率为87.22％～102.46％;相对标准偏差小于10.0％;方法定量限为2.0 μg/kg.     

Tuning cell adhesion on gradient poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-grafted surfaces

A simple yet versatile method was developed to prepare a low-density polymerization initiator gradient, which was combined with surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) to produce a well-defined poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (HEMA) gradient substrate. A smooth variation in film thickness was measured across the gradient, ranging from 20 A to over 80 A, but we observed a nonmonotonic variation in water contact angle. Fits of X-ray reflectivity profiles suggested that at the low graft density end, the polymer chain structure was in a "mushroom" regime, while the polymer chains at high graft density were in a "brush" regime. It was found that the "mushroom" region of the gradient could be made adhesive to cells by adsorbing adhesion proteins, and cell adhesion could be tuned by controlling the density of the polymer grafts. Fibroblasts were seeded on gradients precoated with fibronectin to test cellular responses to this novel substrate, but it was found that cell adhesion did not follow the expected trend; instead, saturated cell adhesion and spreading was found at the low grafting density region.     

Low flow high-performance liquid chromatography solvent delivery system designed for tandem capillary liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

A solvent delivery system is described that is designed to increase the efficiency of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analyses. Gradients formed by using two low pressure syringe pumps are stored in a length of narrow bore tubing (gradient loop) mounted on a standard high pressure switching valve. The preformed gradient is pushed through the column by using a high pressure syringe pump. The system is fully automated and can be controlled with either a personal computer or the mass spectrometer data system. Advantages include gradient operation without the use of split flows, pressure programed flow control for rapid sample loading and recycling to initial conditions, and a flow rate range of 0.1–20 μL/min, which is suitable for packed capillary columns 50–500 μm in diameter. The system has been used extensively for rapid molecular weight determinations of intact protein samples, as well as LC/MS and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses of complex peptide mixtures.     

Simultaneous determination and qualitative analysis of six types of components in Naoxintong capsule by miniaturized matrix solid‐phase dispersion extraction coupled with ultra high‐performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

A simple and effective sample preparation process based on miniaturized matrix solid‐phase dispersion was developed for simultaneous determination of phenolic acids (gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, 3,5‐dicaffeoylqunic acid, 1,5‐dicaffeoylqunic acid, rosmarinic acid, lithospermic acid, and salvianolic acid B), flavonoids (kaempferol‐3‐O‐rutinoside, calycosin, and formononetin), lactones (ligustilide and butyllidephthalide), monoterpenoids (paeoniflorin), phenanthraquinones (cryptotanshinone), and furans (5‐hydroxymethylfurfural) in Naoxintong capsule by ultra high‐performance liquid chromatography. The optimized condition was that 25 mg Naoxintong powder was blended homogeneously with 100 mg Florisil PR for 4 min. One milliliter of methanol/water (75:25, v/v) acidified by 0.05% formic acid was selected to elute all components. It was found that the recoveries of the six types of components ranged from 61.36 to 96.94%. The proposed miniaturized matrix solid‐phase dispersion coupled with ultra high‐performance liquid chromatography was successfully applied to simultaneous determination of the six types of components in Naoxintong capsules. The results demonstrated that the proposed miniaturized matrix solid‐phase dispersion coupled with ultra high‐performance liquid chromatography could be used as an environmentally friendly tool for the extraction and determination of multiple bioactive components in natural products.     

Liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometric analysis of benzoylurea insecticides in citrus fruits

A liquid chromatography (LC) method for the quantitative determination of three benzoylurea insecticide residues (diflubenzuron, flufenoxuron and hexaflumuron) in citrus fruits is described. Residues were successfully separated on a C18 column by methanol/water gradient elution. Detection was by negative-ion, selected-ion monitoring atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (APCI-MS); the main ions were [M - H]-, and the secondary fragment ions were [M - H - HF]-. Useful confirmatory information can thus be obtained at low extraction voltages from losses of HF. Detection limits for standard solutions were 10 fg injected and good linearity and reproducibility were obtained. The optimum LC/APCI-MS conditions were applied to the analysis of benzoylureas in oranges. Samples were extracted using matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD), in which orange samples were homogenized with Cs, placed onto a glass column and eluted with dichloromethane. Detection limits of 2 microg kg(-1) in the crop were obtained. Average recoveries from citrus fortified with approximately (25-1000 microg kg(-1)) ranged from 87 to 102%. The method was applied to field-treated orange samples and benzoylureas were sometimes detected at concentration levels lower than maximum residue limits.     

基于液相色谱-质谱技术的肾脏代谢组学分析方法研究

建立了一种基于高效液相色谱-超高分辨质谱技术的肾脏代谢组学分析方法。肾脏组织于液氮中研磨成粉后,采用甲基叔丁基醚/甲醇/水溶剂体系进行提取,分别得到强极性部分(下层)和弱极性部分(上层)提取物,依次采用HILIC亲水色谱柱和反相C18色谱柱进行梯度洗脱分离后,进行高分辨质谱分析。采用电喷雾离子源(ESI),正、负离子模式检测,扫描方式为全扫描,扫描范围为100~1000 Da,质量分辨率为120000。结果表明,该方法灵敏度高,专属性强,稳定性良好,可同时获取肾脏组织中的强极性和弱极性代谢物信息,可为肾脏疾病和药物肾毒性生物标志物的发现提供一种新的方法。     

Simultaneous determination of phenolic compounds in Equisetum palustre L. by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry combined with matrix solid‐phase dispersion extraction

A method based on matrix solid‐phase dispersion extraction followed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry is presented for the extraction and determination of phenolic compounds in Equisetum palustre. This method combines the high efficiency of matrix solid‐phase dispersion extraction and the rapidity, sensitivity, and accuracy of ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The influential parameters of the matrix solid‐phase dispersion extraction were investigated and optimized. The optimized conditions were as follows: silica gel was selected as dispersing sorbent, the ratio of silica gel to sample was selected to be 2:1 (400/200 mg), and 8 mL of 80% methanol was used as elution solvent. Furthermore, a fast and sensitive ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of nine phenolic compounds in E. palustre. This method was carried out within <6 min, and exhibited satisfactory linearity, precision, and recovery. Compared with ultrasound‐assisted extraction, the proposed matrix solid‐phase dispersion procedure possessed higher extraction efficiency, and was more convenient and time saving with reduced requirements on sample and solvent amounts. All these results suggest that the developed method represents an excellent alternative for the extraction and determination of active components in plant matrices.     

Nuclear momentum distribution in solid and liquid HF from ab initio calculation

A calculation of nuclear momentum distribution of liquid and solid hydrogen fluoride was performed. In both systems, density functional theory generalized gradient approximation functional of Perdew, Burke, and Ernzerhof was used for the calculation: for liquid hydrogen fluoride, using an atom centered basis set for an isolated molecule with optimized geometry, and for solid hydrogen fluoride using plane-wave basis sets on optimized orthorhombic crystal cell. For liquid hydrogen fluoride, a semiclassical approach was adopted with the vibrational contribution to momentum distribution obtained from the density functional theory calculation and translational and rotational contributions calculated classically. Nuclear momentum distribution in the solid hydrogen fluoride was calculated entirely quantum mechanically using phonon dispersion and vibrational density of states calculated in the framework of plane-wave density functional theory. Theoretical results were contrasted with recently obtained results of Compton (deep inelastic) neutron scattering on liquid and solid hydrogen fluoride. In case of liquid hydrogen fluoride, almost a perfect agreement between theory and experiment was achieved within the harmonic Born-Oppenheimer approximation. For the solid system under investigation, the harmonic approximation leads to small (4%) overestimation of the square root of the second moment indicating that neutron Compton scattering technique is sensitive to proton delocalization due to hydrogen bonding in solid hydrogen fluoride.     

Simultaneous separation of 17 inorganic and organic arsenic compounds in marine biota by means of high-performance liquid chromatography/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A method using high-performance liquid chromatography/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC/ICP-MS) has been developed to determine inorganic arsenic (arsenite, arsenate) along with organic arsenic compounds (monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, arsenobetaine, arsenocholine, trimethylarsine oxide, tetramethylarsonium ion and several arsenosugars) in fish, mussel, oyster and marine algae samples. The species were extracted by means of a methanol/water mixture and a dispersion unit in 2 min, with extraction efficiencies ranging from 83 to 107% in the different organisms. Up to 17 different species were determined within 15 min on an anion-exchange column, using a nitric acid gradient and an ion-pairing reagent. As all species are shown in one chromatogram, a clear overview of arsenic distribution patterns in different marine organisms is given. Arsenobetaine is the major compound in marine animals whereas arsenosugars and arsenate are dominant in marine algae. The method was validated with CRM DORM-2 (dogfish muscle). Concentrations were within the certified limits and low detection limits of 8 ng g(-1) (arsenite) to 50 ng g(-1) (arsenate) were obtained.     

离子对色谱法同时分离测定吡啶及咪唑离子液体阳离子

建立了用紫外检测的反相离子对色谱梯度淋洗同时分离测定4种吡啶离子液体阳离子和5种咪唑离子液体阳离子的方法。实验采用ZORBAX Eclipse XDB-C18反相色谱柱,以离子对试剂水溶液(用柠檬酸调节pH值)+乙腈为流动相,考察了离子对试剂种类和浓度、乙腈浓度和色谱柱温度对保留的影响,探讨了相关保留规律,确定最佳色谱条件为:流速1.0 mL/min、柱温30℃,以1.0 mmol/L庚烷磺酸钠水溶液(pH 4.0)-乙腈为淋洗液进行梯度洗脱。在此条件下,4种吡啶阳离子和5种咪唑阳离子在15 min内达到基线分离。检出限(S/N=3)为0.31～0.54 mg/L,峰面积的相对标准偏差为0.10%～0.75%。将该方法用于实验室合成的离子液体样品分析,加标回收率为94%～98%。该方法准确、可靠,具有较好的实用性。     

Dye induced great enhancement of broadband reflection from polymer stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals

A series of polymer stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals (PSCLCs) films were prepared from cholesteric liquid crystal (Ch‐LC) mixtures containing different components such as non‐reactive LC monomer, polymerizable monomer, chiral dopant, dye, and photoinitiator upon polymerization. The influence of the polymerizable monomer and dye of Ch‐LC mixtures on the reflection properties was investigated. The reflection bandwidth for all the samples can be increased by photo‐polymerization, and the network upon polymerization derived from two different polymerizable monomers with both one and two functional groups is more effective than that from one polymerizable monomer for broadening the reflection band. Especially, a dye‐doped Ch‐LC film can reflect incident light with the bandwidth over the wavelength range of 550–2350 nm, which is due to a greater pitch gradient formed inside of Ch‐LC film. The gradient pitch network structure was firstly demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with the film prepared from high diacrylate monomer concentration and subsequently proved by using a wash‐out/refill method. The nematic liquid crystals monomers was infiltrated into the polymer network that was prefabricated by removing the low molar weight LCs from the original PSCLCs film, and SEM exhibited the existence of a pitch gradient across the film thickness. The refilled nematic liquid crystals film showed broadband reflection after polymerzition, too. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.