A technique for coating capillary columns with a very thick film of cross-linked stationary phase

A method for preparation of capillary columns and traps with a very thick film (up to 100 μm) of stationary phase is described. The principle of this method is based on an immediate fixation of a film of prepolymer, formed during dynamic coating. Thus, the development of film irregularities, such as are caused by Rayleigh instability is avoided. Fixation of the film is conveniently accomplished by heat-accelerated crosslinking as was demonstrated in this work, where a commercially available silicone prepolymer (Sylgard 184, Dow Corning) was employed. The low phase ratio columns which thus can be prepared are interesting both in chromatography with dense mobile phases and as enrichment devices. Examples of the latter application are shown, where trace organic components from air and water were concentrated.     

Headspace gas analysis: Comparison of the efficiency of thick film,ultra thick film,and activated charcoal open tubular capillary traps for the concentration of volatile,airborne, organic compounds

Determination of the rate at which volatile organic molecules diffuse through the wall of a polysiloxane rubber tube, shows that the full depth of the rubber lining of ultra-thick film open tubular traps is utilized for the retention of volatile organic compounds in headspace gas analysis. Small apolar molecules migrate rapidly through the rubber, but larger molecules and polar compounds diffuse relatively slowly into the rubber. Neither traps with a thick film of an apolar stationary phase, nor those with an ultra thick polysiloxane rubber lining retain highly volatile compounds very effectively. Traps containing activated charcoal particles fused into their inside glass surface have a much higher capacity than those with activated charcoal particles embedded in a layer of stationary phase.     

Ultra thick film open tubular traps with an increased inner diameter

In this paper, the concept of open tubular traps, coated with a very thick film of polydimethyldisiloxane for enrichment of trace volatile components has been further explored. From theoretical calculations as well as practical experiments it is demonstrated that it can be advantageous to increase the inner diameter of such traps. For a given sampling flow rate and phase ratio, the plate number of the traps is not dependent on the inner diameter, provided that the linear flow velocity remains sufficiently high to offset the effect of axial diffusion. It is shown that this is due to the basic fact that for a given sampling flow rate, the average linear flow velocity in the trap is inversely proportional to the square of the inner diameter of the trap. However, in contrast to chromatographic separations, the linear flow velocity is not important. Under conditions of a constant phase ratio, an increased inner diameter also increases the amount of sorbent in the trap, which is a key parameter for obtaining high breakthrough volumes. Open tubular traps with an expanded inner diameter have very low pressure drop characteristics, which provides the possibility to construct new, simplified sampling systems.     

On-line coupling of equilibrium-sorptive enrichment to gas chromatography to determine low-molecular-mass pollutants in environmental water samples

On-line combination of equilibrium sorptive enrichment and gas chromatography is used for the analysis of a group of pollutants varying widely in polarity and volatility in aqueous samples at trace levels. For the ESE process open-tubular traps were used. The newly developed hyphenated method shows a high sensitivity for all the compounds under study. The detection limits were typically between 0.1 and 1 microg/l. The sample volumes required for the compounds to reach equilibrium with the stationary phase are in the range of 20 ml for the aromatic hydrocarbons included in the study (benzene, toluene and p-xylene), to 200 ml for epichlorohydrin and dichlorohydrin. Within- and between-day precision of the absolute peak areas varied between 3 and 16%. The performance of the new method was tested by the analysis of different environmental water samples.     

New methodologies in trace analysis of volatile organic compounds

Two methods for sampling and concentration of volatile organic compounds are reported. In the first method, traps coated with a very thick film (ca. 100 μm) of cross-linked silicone stationary phase are employed. Such thick films can be prepared with a modified dynamic coating procedure, which is briefly described. The low phase ratio traps can be utilized for enrichment of volatiles from gaseous as well as aqueous matrices. The second technique is based on chromatographic evaporation of a solvent in a capillary tube, where the process is sustained by a repeated sample injection and a cyclic flow reversal. In this way, large solvent volumes can be handled by a small volume system. Under optimal conditions, when using a solvent barrier, quantitative recovery is possible even for compounds of comparatively high volatility. Another important application of the technique is extraction of trace components from gases such as headspace samples, polluted air, etc.     

Sorbent-based sampling methods for volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds in air: Part 1: Sorbent-based air monitoring options

Sorbent tubes/traps are widely used in combination with gas chromatographic (GC) analytical methods to monitor the vapour-phase fraction of organic compounds in air. Target compounds range in volatility from acetylene and freons to phthalates and PCBs and include apolar, polar and reactive species. Airborne vapour concentrations will vary depending on the nature of the location, nearby pollution sources, weather conditions, etc. Levels can range from low percent concentrations in stack and vent emissions to low part per trillion (ppt) levels in ultra-clean outdoor locations. Hundreds, even thousands of different compounds may be present in any given atmosphere. GC is commonly used in combination with mass spectrometry (MS) detection especially for environmental monitoring or for screening uncharacterised workplace atmospheres. Given the complexity and variability of organic vapours in air, no one sampling approach suits every monitoring scenario. A variety of different sampling strategies and sorbent media have been developed to address specific applications. Key sorbent-based examples include: active (pumped) sampling onto tubes packed with one or more sorbents held at ambient temperature; diffusive (passive) sampling onto sorbent tubes/cartridges; on-line sampling of air/gas streams into cooled sorbent traps; and transfer of air samples from containers (canisters, Tedlar^® bags, etc.) into cooled sorbent focusing traps. Whichever sampling approach is selected, subsequent analysis almost always involves either solvent extraction or thermal desorption (TD) prior to GC(/MS) analysis. The overall performance of the air monitoring method will depend heavily on appropriate selection of key sampling and analytical parameters. This comprehensive review of air monitoring using sorbent tubes/traps is divided into 2 parts. (1) Sorbent-based air sampling option. (2) Sorbent selection and other aspects of optimizing sorbent-based air monitoring methods. The paper presents current state-of-the-art and recent developments in relevant areas such as sorbent research, sampler design, enhanced approaches to analytical quality assurance and on-tube derivatisation.     

The use of precolumns for solvent focusing in capillary column gas chromatography

In trace analysis by capillary GC it is often desirable to use larger than normal injection volumes to obtain sufficient sensitivity. This, however, results in a wider solvent peak and tailing, and may reduce column efficiency. This paper describes the use of a short length of a capillary precolumn coated with a stationary phase of polarity similar to that of the sample solvent and a film thickness greater than that of the analytical column; provided the right combination of polarities of injection solvent and liquid phases are used, the precolumn focuses the solvent band, thereby enabling the maximum injection volume to be increased without measurably reducing efficiency. Typical precolumn dimensions are 1 m length, 0.32 mm i.d., and 0.5 μm stationary phase film thickness. Using a precolumn increases the maximum injection volume up to 8 or 10 μl, or three times that appropriate for a conventional analytical column, with little or no loss in efficiency.     

聚硅氧烷离子液体用于快速气相色谱固定相的研究

合成了聚硅氧烷键合离子液体[PSOMIM][NTf2],并将其用作快速气相色谱柱的固定相.初步探索了采用短柱及小内径毛细管柱(3 m×75 μm i.d.)时的分离性能及固定相膜厚对分离性能的影响.与常规柱(8m×0.25 mmi.d.)相比,在不损失分离度的前提下,分离速度可提高1～6倍;当膜厚为0.056 μm时,可以将分离速度提高2～4倍.实验结果表明,聚硅氧烷键合离子液体固定相可以有效弥补由于缩短柱长所导致的分离度减小的问题,在快速气相色谱固定相方面具有较好的应用前景.     

Preparation and evaluation of polar stabilized phase open tubular (SPOT) columns

Summary A method is described for the routine preparation of high resolution stabilized phase open tubular (SPOT) columns. A finely dispersed siliceous material (Cab-O-Sil) is treated with benzyltriphenylphosphoniumchloride and dynamically coated onto the inside wall of glass capillary columns. Additional dynamics coating with a polar stationary phase yields thermostable columns of high efficiency. The columns show favourable adsorption properties and good long term stability. The mechanical stability of the stationary phase film is explained in terms of the rheological behaviour of concentrated disperisons. The designation PLOT columns appers inapplicable, and these columns will be referred to as SPOT columns. A theoretical model, describing band spreading in SPOT columns, is proposed and compared with the experimental results. Some applications in routine use and in ultra trace analysis are presented.     

Morphological modification of nanostructured ultrathin-layer chromatography stationary phases

Ultrathin-layer chromatography (UTLC) provides the high sensitivities and rapid separations over short distances desirable in many analytical applications. The dependence of these performance benefits on UTLC layer microstructure motivates continued stationary phase engineering efforts. A new method of modifying the elution behaviours of nanostructured thin film UTLC stationary phases is investigated in this report. Macroporous normal phase silica thin films ～5 μm thick were fabricated using glancing angle deposition (GLAD). Reactive ion etching (RIE) and a subsequent annealing treatment modified stationary phase morphology to tune migration velocity, analyte retention, and overall separation performance. Combining this technique with a RIE shadow mask enabled fabrication of adjacent concentration and separation zones with markedly different elution properties. Although produced using an entirely new approach, GLAD UTLC concentration zone media behaved in a manner consistent with traditional thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance TLC (HPTLC) concentration zone plates. In particular, these new media focused large volume, low concentration dye mixture spots into narrow bands to achieve high-quality separations. The described approach to modifying the morphology and resultant elution behaviours of nanostructured stationary phases expands the capabilities of the GLAD UTLC technique.     

固相萃取技术及固定相络合法富集环境水样中微量金属离子的思路

固相萃取（Solid Phase Extraction SPE）是一种处于迅速发展中的样品前处理新技术,SPE技术在液体试样制备中以突出的优点已成为优先考虑的方法。本文旨在介绍SPE技术,并从配合物基本理论出发,首次提出“固定相络合法”富集环境水样中微量金属离子的思路。     

Silica modified with a thiourea derivative as a new stationary phase for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography

Nowadays there are limited types of commercially available stationary phases for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography and therefore new ones with unique selectivity are urgently in demand to meet the need of separations of various polar and hydrophilic analytes. The present study describes the preparation and evaluation of a new stationary phase based on thiourea derivative modified silica for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography. Thiourea derivative was bonded onto the surface of silica particles via a mild addition reaction between –NH₂ and –SCN, and the result of elemental analysis together with infrared analysis and solid‐state NMR spectroscopy proved that the synthesis method was feasible. The new stationary phase succeeded in fast separations of a wide range of polar and hydrophilic analytes and exhibited excellent separation performance, especially unique selectivity. Furthermore, the effects of water content, buffer pH, and salt concentration on retention indicated that a complicated separation mechanism rather than partitioning was involved in the stationary phase and hydrogen bonding interaction between analytes and thiourea functional group could play a very important role in its selectivity. For sure, the new stationary phase is of a great potential as a new type of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatographic stationary phase.     

A method to prepare gels with controllable morphology through a three‐phase system

Traditional methods for preparing hydrogels with specific morphology need molds with different shapes, which should bring about a complicated process. In order to control the size and morphology of hydrogels conveniently, a new simple synthesis method was advanced to prepare the gels. In this method, the prepolymer solution achieves diffusion in the interface between the upper oil phase and lower hydrogel matrix, which constitutes a three‐phase system, and the morphology of prepared gels was determined by the balanced diffusion status of the prepolymer solution. Hence, through controlling the composition and character of the three different phases in this system, the balanced diffusion status could be adjusted because of the changed interaction acting on the prepolymer solution diffused in the phase interface. The common rule with regards to the resulting morphology of prepared gels was investigated by surface tension analysis. The results prove that this synthetic method is feasible in preparing many kinds of hydrogels with controllable morphology as a common approach.     

Environmental analysis of organic compounds in water using solid phase micro extraction

Solid Phase Micro Extraction (SPME) involves exposing a fused silica fiber coated with stationary phase to a contaminated water sample. The organic analytes become partitioned between the stationary phase and the water and when equilibrium is reached the fiber is removed from the solution and the analytes are thermally desorbed in the injector of a gas chromatograph. The fiber is contained in a syringe to facilitate handling. Factors which affect linear range, limit of detection, and total analysis time are discussed with regard to the development of a method for analysis of volatile compounds in environmental water samples. The sensitivity of the method was determined by the thickness of the film of stationary phase; the equilibration time, however, increased with the film thickness, although it can be minimized by use of a cross-shaped stirrer bar. Increasing the thickness of stationary phase in the analytical column enables the cryofocusing temperature to be increased from ?40 to ?15°C. With an ion trap mass spectrometer, detection limits required by the US Environmental Protection Agency are met for all compounds except chloromethane and chloroethane. The method has been applied to environmental water samples.     

A stannum-bismuth composite film electrode for simultaneous determination of zinc(II) and cadmium(II) using differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry

The development and use of 'green' electrode materials is extremely attractive for the routine use of disposable metal sensors. Bismuth is an environmentally-friendly element and a bismuth film electrode was proposed as an alternative to mercury film electrodes. Compared with bismuth, stannum is a more 'environmentally friendly' material. The stannum-bismuth composite film electrode prepared by the in situ electrodeposition of stannum and bismuth on the glassy carbon substrate is reported for the first time. Compared with bismuth film and stannum film electrodes, the stannum-bismuth composite film electrode revealed better electroanalytical performance, and can be used as a possible alternative electrode for electrochemical stripping analysis of trace heavy metals.     

Using different types of capillary chromatographic columns as denudation traps: a comparison of sorption properties

The research presented concerns segments of capillary chromatographic columns of different types (WCOT, SCOT, PLOT) used as traps for collection of samples of volatile organic analytes from a stream of air utilizing the equilibrium denudation technique. During the model experiments (utilizing standard mixtures), values of the partition coefficients (Kfs) were determined for volatile organic compounds frequently occurring as pollutants of atmospheric air (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, chlorobenzene). The conducted research demonstrated that the stationary phase film thickness did not affect the partition coefficient value. It was also proved that there is no dependence between the manner of applying the stationary phase in the column and the partition coefficient value.     

Prepolymer film growth by adsorption out of solution on silicon and aluminium

A cyanurate prepolymer has been applied to smooth silicon wafers or to distinctly structured aluminium coatings. The surface composition of the substrates has been investigated by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) and ellipsometry. The application methods, spin coating and dip coating represent adsorption by a technical process exerting significant shear stresses or nearly equilibrated conditions, respectively. The mean tickness of the prepolymer film has been adjusted by variation of the concentration of the solution and checked by ellipsometry. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) monitored the development of the respective film morphologies of all 4 systems (silicon/aluminium, spin/dip coating) in the mean film thickness range from 1 to 50 nm.     

Residual solvents determination in the antibiotic L-749,345 by static headspace gas chromatography

An automated static headspace gas chromatographic method for the determination of residual solvents in the antibiotic L-749,345 was developed and validated. Headspace analysis was used when direct injection of the compound was found to significantly degrade the performance of the column stationary phase. Quantitation was performed by external standard analyses and the method was found to be precise, linear, sensitive, accurate and rugged. The chromatographic conditions and headspace parameters were optimized in a separate experiment to provide a limit test for trace levels of methylene chloride in the presence of significant levels of ethanol.     

甲基叔丁基醚装置未反应C4组分中微量含氧化合物的测定

对几种高分子聚合物色谱固定相分离性能进行比较研究,选择了一种较好的混合固定相,适用于甲基叔丁基醚装置未反应碳四（C4）组分中微量二甲醚、甲醇、甲基叔丁基醚、叔丁醇等含氧化合物的气相色谱测定.以内标法进行计算.检测下限可达到10×10-6（W/W）,其它化合物不干扰测定.     

Prepolymer film growth by adsorption out of solution on silicon and aluminium

A cyanurate prepolymer has been applied to smooth silicon wafers or to distinctly structured aluminium coatings. The surface composition of the substrates has been investigated by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) and ellipsometry. The application methods, spin coating and dip coating represent adsorption by a technical process exerting significant shear stresses or nearly equilibrated conditions, respectively. The mean tickness of the prepolymer film has been adjusted by variation of the concentration of the solution and checked by ellipsometry. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) monitored the development of the respective film morphologies of all 4 systems (silicon/aluminium, spin/dip coating) in the mean film thickness range from 1 to 50 nm.