Optimization of capillary zone electrophoresis parameters for selenium speciation

The behaviour of four biologically relevant selenium compounds (Se(VI), Se(IV), selenomethionine and selenocystine) in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was investigated. Parameters which affect the separation, detection and sample introduction were investigated to improve the sensitivity of the analysis. Short-term repeatability was evaluated and detection limits were found to be in the g·l^–1 range.     

Hydride-trapping techniques for the speciation of arsenic

The determination of arsenic species by the trapping of volatile hydrides prior to atomization in the light path of an atomic absorption spectrometer is described and its operation in the measurement of arsenic species in the marine environment are discussed. Examples are drawn from the analysis of Tamar estuary water and sediment interstitial (pore) waters and from studies of the temporal variation of dimethylarsenic in coastal waters. Improvements in both the design and operation of the technique have resulted in enhanced performance. Baseline resolution of inorganic arsenic, monomethylarsenic and dimethylarsenic is now possible and trimethylarsine is resolved. Ultraviolet photolysis of arsenobetaine and arsenocholine gives partial conversion to trimethylarsine oxide. This can be employed in the qualitative appraisal of the presence of trimethylarsenic species. Current detection limits (3 sigma) for inorganic, mono- and di-methylarsenic lie in the range 19 to 61 pg absolute, giving 19–61 ng/1 concentration detection limits for 1 ml samples. This can be improved even further by using larger sample volumes. The properties of the analysis system when presented with various arsenic species are described. A ca. 10% loss of arsenite occurs in samples stored at —20 °C and immediate freezing of samples in liquid nitrogen is recommended.     

Comparison of three multivariate calibration methods as an approach to arsenic speciation by HG-AAS

This paper compares three multivariate calibration methods, namely classical least squares (CLS), inverse least squares (ILS) and Kaiman filter, applied to continuous-flow hydride generation with sodium tetrahydroborate(III) reducing agent and AAS detection for the purposes of speciation of As(III), As(V), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). The precision of the three multivariate methods was compared in the calibration and prediction steps by standard error of prediction (SEP) and relative error of prediction (REP), respectively, for each analyte and no significant differences have been found for As(III), As(V), MMA, and DMA when the F-test was applied to compare the three multivariate calibration methods in pairs at the 95% confidence level. Determination of the As species was carried out in spiked drinking and sea water in the range 7–35 g 1^–1. Recoveries were in all cases around 100% and the detection limit for the least sensitive species was close to 5 g 1^–1.     

Evaluation of atomic fluorescence spectrometry as a sensitive detection technique for arsenic speciation

The potential of coupling anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography, hydride generation and atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HPLC–HG–AFS) for arsenic speciation is considered. The effects of hydrochloric acid and sodium tetrahydroborate concentrations on signal-to-background ratio, as well as argon and hydrogen flow rates, were investigated. Detection limits for arsenite, dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and arsenate were 0.17, 0.45, 0.30 and 0.38 μg l⁻¹, respectively, using a 20-μl loop. Linearity ranges were 0.1–500 ng for As(III) and MMA (as arsenic), and 0.1–800 ng for DMA and As(V) (as arsenic). Arsenobetaine (AsB) was also determined by introducing an on-line photo-oxidation step after the chromatographic separation. In this case the limits of detection and linear ranges for the different species studied were similar to the values obtained previously for As(V). The technique was tested with a human urine reference material and a volunteer's sample. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Separation of organic and inorganic arsenic species by capillary zone electrophoresis

Summary Capillary zone electrophoresis has been used to separate arsenite, arsenate, dimethylarsinic acid, and phenyl-,p-aminophenyl-, ando-aminophenylarsinic acids. Identification and quantification of the arsenic species at mg L⁻¹ levels was possible by use of direct UV detection at 200 nm. The relative standard deviation (n=7) ranged from 0.97 to 1.52% for migration times and from 2.08 to 4.31% for peak areas. A method for rapid separation of inorganic arsenic species was also developed; by use of this method arsenite and arsenate could be separated within 2 min. Presented at Balaton Symposium on High-Performance Separation Methods, Siófok, Hungary, September 1–3, 1999     

Capillary electrophoresis on-line coupled with hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry for speciation analysis of selenium

A new method for speciation analysis of two inorganic selenium species was developed by on-line coupling of capillary electrophoresis (CE) with hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS) and on-line conversion of Se(VI) to Se(IV). Baseline separation of Se(VI) and Se(IV) was achieved by CE in a 50 cm x 75 microm inside diameter (ID) fused-silica capillary at -20 kV using a mixture of 15 mmol.L(-1) NaH2PO4 and 0.5 mmol.L(-1) cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (pH 7.5) as electrolyte buffer. Se(VI) was on-line reduced to Se(IV) by mixing the CE effluent with concentrated HCl. The precision (relative standard deviation, RSD, n=7) ranged from 0.7 to 1.3% for migration time, 6.4 to 3.7% for peak height response, and 5.9 to 6.1% for peak area for the two selenium species at the 500 microg.L(-1) (as Se) level. The detection limits were 33 and 25 microg.L(-1) (as Se) for Se(VI) and Se(IV), respectively. The recoveries of the two selenium species in five locally collected water samples ranged from 88 to 114%. The developed method was applied to speciation analysis of inorganic selenium species in spiked natural water samples.     

Capillary electrophoresis methods for microRNAs assays: A review

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNAs that conduct important roles in many cellular processes such as development, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. In particular, circulating miRNAs have been proposed as biomarkers for cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other illnesses. Therefore, determination of miRNA expression levels in various biofluids is important for the investigation of biological processes in health and disease and for discovering their potential as new biomarkers and drug targets. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is emerging as a useful analytical tool for analyzing miRNA because of its simple sample preparation steps and efficient resolution of a diverse size range of compounds. In particular, CE with laser-induced fluorescence detection is a promising and relatively rapidly developing tool with the potential to provide high sensitivity and specificity in the analysis of miRNAs. This paper covers a short overview of the recent developments and applications of CE systems in miRNA studies in biological and biomedical areas.     

ICP-MS for elemental speciation studies

The use of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) coupled with separation techniques for the purpose of elemental speciation has recently gained a lot of attention. Much of this is due to ever improving separation capabilities of Chromatographic techniques, the high sensitivity of ICP-MS, and the continuing development of better interface techniques. Additionally, there is a growing awareness of the need to monitor various species of an analyte, rather than just total analyte concentrations, due to their often varying natures. For the sake of learning from different elemental speciation approaches, this review brings together some selected types of elemental speciation which have been recently seen in literature. These include separations using various forms of liquid chromatography, such as reversed phase, reversed phase ion pairing, micelle, ion exchange, and size exclusion. Elemental speciation employing gas Chromatographie separations and supercritical fluid separations are discussed as well as elemental speciation using capillary electrophoresis.     

毛细管电泳-电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定藻类中6种不同形态的砷化合物

建立了一种利用毛细管电泳与电感耦合等离子体质谱联用技术(CE-ICP-MS)分析检测6种不同形态砷化合物的方法。详细研究了缓冲溶液的种类、pH值和浓度,分离电压以及进样时间等因素对6种砷化合物的分离度、灵敏度和重现性等的影响。结果表明,在最佳条件下,三价砷(As3+)、一甲基砷(MMA)、二甲基砷(DMA)、五价砷(As5+)、砷胆碱(AsC)和砷甜菜碱(AsB)6种化合物在25 min内得到完全分离。6次平行测定中,6种砷化合物峰面积的相对标准偏差(RSD)为3%～5%,检出限(以As计)(3倍信噪比)为0.08～0.12 μg/L。应用该方法成功地对海带中6种砷化合物进行了分析,回收率为90%～103%。该方法具有耗时短、灵敏度高、样品消耗量少、稳定性好等优点,可用于藻类样品中不同形态砷化合物的分析。     

Improvement in arsenic speciation,using hydride generation and atomic absorption spectrophotometry

Improvements in arsenic speciation in sea-water using hydride generation, cold trapping and AAS are reported. Progressive addition of sodium tetrahydroborate and pH optimization are essential to obtain reliable results. The response factor for As^III, As^v, methylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid is nearly the same when sulphuric acid is used for the hydride generation step.     

Arsenic speciation by coupling capillary zone electrophoresis with mass spectrometry

Summary Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) has been coupled with mass spectrometry to enable the identification of mineral and organometallic compounds of arsenic in speciation studies. The electrophoretic effluent was introduced through a concentric interface into the mass spectrometer. Make-up liquid was added to enable electric contact at the outlet of the separation capillary and to assist the electronebulization process. After ionization, the ions were analyzed and quantified with an ion-trap detector. Optimization of the coupling conditions (geometry of the concentric interface, composition and flow rate of the sheath liquid, electronebulization and detection conditions) is described. The results show that the geometry of the concentric interface and the positioning of the outlet of the separation capillary have a critical effect on stability and sensitivity. Programming the electronebulization and detection conditions throughout the analysis enabled identification and quantification of the seven arsenic compounds of interest (neutral, and positively or negatively charged species) in less than 20 min at the ppm level. Limits of detection ranged from 0.5 to 3.3 mg L⁻¹, corresponding to amounts injected ranging from 15 to 60 pg. The linear dependence of mass spectrometric response on arsenic concentration was verified for concentrations ranging from 5 to 200 mgL⁻¹. For the two positively charged species, arsenobetaine and arsenocholine, an on-line preconcentration technique (field-amplified sample injection) enabled reduction of the detection limits by approximately one order of magnitude to 110 and 160 μgL⁻¹, respectively.     

Capillary zone electrophoresis of alpha-helical diastereomeric peptide pairs with anionic ion-pairing reagents

The present study uses an unique capillary electrophoresis (CE) approach, that we have termed ion-interaction capillary zone electrophoresis (II-CZE), for the separation of diastereomeric peptide pairs where a single site in the centre of the non-polar face of an 18-residue amphipathic alpha-helical peptide is substituted by the 19 L- or D-amino acids. Through the addition of perfluorinated acids at very high concentrations (up to 400 mM), such concentration levels not having been used previously in chromatography or CE, to the background electrolyte (pH 2.0), we have been able to achieve baseline resolution of all 19 diastereomeric peptide pairs with an uncoated capillary. Since each diastereomeric peptide pair has the same sequence, identical mass-to-charge ratio and identical intrinsic hydrophobicity, such a separation by CZE has previously been considered theoretically impossible. Excellent resolution was achieved due to maximum advantage being taken of even subtle disruption of peptide structure/conformation (due to the presence of D-amino acids) of the non-polar face of the amphipathic alpha-helix and its interaction with the hydrophobic anionic ion-pairing reagents. In addition, due to the excellent resolution of diastereomeric peptide pairs by this novel CZE approach, we have also been able to separate a mixture of these closely-related alpha-helical peptides.     

毛细管电泳紫外吸收法分离检测海洋生物样品中不同形态的砷化合物

本研究建立了对亚砷酸盐As(Ⅲ)、二甲基砷(DMA)、对甲基苯砷酸(p-As)、一甲基砷(MMA)、砷酸盐(As(Ⅴ)) 5种不同形态的砷化合物的毛细管区带电泳(CZE)分离紫外检测方法,研究了检测波长、缓冲体系种类、pH值及其浓度、分离电压、温度、进样时间等因素对5种形态砷化合物的分离度、灵敏度、重现性等的影响.结果表明,在25 ℃、195 nm、20 mmol/L NaH2PO4-5 mmol/L Na2B4O7(pH=6.25)缓冲溶液、20 kV运行电压、3.0 kPa压力进样10 s条件下,5种不同形态砷化合物在11 min内取得完全分离,5种不同形态砷化合物的迁移时间和峰面积的RSD为0.50%～1.51%和1.65%～3.36%,检出限(3S/N)为0.004～0.30 mg/L.本法成功地应用于虾米中不同砷形态含量的测定,其回收率在93%～106%之间.     

Seasonal control of arsenic speciation in an estuarine ecosystem

Arsenic speciation in the Itchen estuary and Southampton Water (UK) has been shown to vary seasonally, with detectable (>0.02μg As dm^?3) dissolved arsenic(III) and methylated arsenic only being present from May to early October. This corresponds to the time period during which water temperatures exceed 12°C. For the remainder of the year, inorganic arsenic(V) was the only detectable species. At its peak, ca 30% of the dissolved arsenic was present as methylated forms with dimethylarsenic (DMAs) being the predominant bioarsenical. Significant quantities of monomethyl-arsenic (MMAs) and inorganic arsenic(III) were also present, however. The concentrations of the bioarsenical species varied with position in the estuary and generally increased with salinity. Measurements made during the period of peak algal activity implicated the highsalinity area of the estuary as the most probable region in which the methylated arsenicals are generated. At some sites, a distinct lag was observed between the appearance of dimethylarsenic and the detection of arsenic(III)and monomethylarsenic. Chlorophyll a concentration proved to be a poor predictor of the appearance of reduced and methylated arsenic in the water column. Possible sources of dissolved methylated arsenic are discussed.     

Capillary zone electrophoresis of lipoarabinomannan by multi-layered concentration

The present article describes a capillary zone electrophoresis method which relies on a multilayered water-alkali solvent stacking with online ionization to enhance detection of mannose, arabinose, and their oligosaccharides, which are used as the migration profile standards but are also the distinctive structural components of lipoarabinomannan. Lipoarabinomannan is detected in patients having tuberculosis. The capillary electrophoresis method with ionization of the whole saccharides without degradation in alkaline solution inside the capillary is based on the structural deprotonation of the molecules under ultrahigh pH conditions. The validation of the capillary electrophoresis parameters revealed that the 15-fold electrolyte–water-injection plug allowed detection of one-third lower concentrations than detected without online concentration. For the first time, the better detectability was seen especially for highly polymerized, but otherwise poorly ionized, arabinooctaose. The applicability of the method for detecting whole large biological saccharide complexes was confirmed by the glycolipid lipoarabinomannan. For the first time also, the migration of the indestructible lipoarabinomannan was detected together with oligosaccharides used representing the capping units, namely mannose, mannobiose, and mannotriose. The myo-inositol-phosphate-lipid unit was seen to migrate separately from the arabinomannan, since it was hydrolyzed from one lipoarabinomannan product under alkaline conditions in capillary electrophoresis.     

Capillary zone electrophoresis for polymide composition analysis

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was employed in polyimide composition analysis. Polymide was decomposed to its corresponding aromatic diamine and aromatic acid monomers by an alkali fusion reaction. Sample treatment is much simpler than published methods, and electropherograms show a good separation of decomposed products under the proper conditions.     

Capillary electrophoresis of signaling molecules

The emerging field of quantitative systems biology uses high-throughput bioanalytical measurements to gain a deeper understanding of biological phenomena. With the advent of instrumentation platforms, capillary electrophoresis spans a very wide range of biological applications. This short article focuses on the exploitation of capillary electrophoresis for the systems-level analysis of cell signaling molecules.     

Capillary electrophoresis speciation analysis of various arsenical compounds

Separation of seven organic and inorganic arsenical species, i.e., inorganic arsenite (As III) and arsenate (As V), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), arsenobetaine (AsBet), arsenocholine (AsCh) and p-arsanilic acid (pAs) was carried out by capillary electrophoresis (CE) equipped with one of two different optical path cells, i.e., either the standard detection interface (SDI) or the high sensitive detection cell (HSDC). Separation, identification and quantification of the As species were performed by means of a capillary silica column with an alkaline borate buffer at pH 9.3 and direct UV detection at 192 nm. This methodological approach was tested with the abovementioned types of cells, and the results of the two modes were compared. In both cases, good separation was obtained, and also, repeatability in terms of migration times and peak areas was rather satisfactory. With regard to sensitivity, the HSDC allowed peak areas to be obtained, which were ca. 50 times greater than those afforded by the former cell. This also led to a substantial improvement in the limits of detection (LoDs); by a factor of 9 in the case of AsCh.     

Speciation of arsenic compounds by coupling high-performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

There is considerable evidence that toxicity and physiological behavior of arsenic depends on its chemical forms. Arsenic speciation became therefore the subject of increasing interest in recent years. A sensitive method for the determination of arsenic species has been developed. The proposed procedure involves the use of high-performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). Six arsenic compounds were separated by anion-exchange chromatography with isocratic elution using tartaric acid as mobile phase with an elution order: arsenocholine, arsenobetaine, dimethylarsinic acid, methylarsonic acid, arsenous acid and arsenic acid. The chromatographic parameters affecting the separation of the arsenic species were optimized. Analytical characterization of the method has been realized with standard solutions. The detection limits for six arsenic compounds were from 0.04 to 0.6 g/L as As element. The repeatability (expressed by R.S.D) was better than 7% for all investigated compounds. The HPLC-ICP-MS system was successfully applied to the determination of arsenic compounds in environmental and biological samples in g/L level.     

毛细管电泳在手性分离中的应用进展

本文以手性选择剂为线索综述了近五年来毛细管区带电泳和胶束电动毛细管电色谱在手性药物拆分中的应用进展,列举了部分手性药物拆分实例.