A new type of two-dimensional packed+capillary column GC system. III. Instrumentation

Summary The constractional details of precolumns, its oven and connector have been given with two types of multiflow control modules. Two types of phases made in China, a silanized pellicular beads and a non silanized pellicular silica beads, with an optimum particle size of 20μm to 30μm were packed in the precolumn 20mm in length with the column efficiency of 4620 plates/meter at column temperature of 49°C. A 25m×0.22mm i.d. capillary column coated with bonded methylsilicone phase from Chrompack connected with the precolumn (250°C) has an efficiency of 5376 plates/meter for n-octane. But it decreased to 3149 plates/meter by decreasing the precolumn temperature to 130°C.     

Preparation,Homogeneity and Stability of Polar Pesticides in Freeze-Dried Water Interlaboratory Exercise

Abstract

An interlaboratory exercise was carried out to improve the state of the art of some polar pesticide determination in water (atrazine, simazine, carbaryl, propanil, linuron, fenamiphos and permethrin). The preparation, the homogeneity and the stability of freeze-dried water samples containing the above pesticides was studied. The final concentration of each pesticide in water was in the 50–80 μg.^?1 range with a salt content of 2.5 g.l^?1 of NaCl. After the lyophilization the residue was reho-mogenised, filled into amber glass bottles and stored at -20 °C and +20 °C. Every three months, one sample was analysed to verify the stability of the residue.

All pesticides were determined by high performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) except permethrin which was determined by gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC-ECD).

The results obtained show that the atrazine, carbaryl, propanil, linuron and fenamiphos samples were homogeneously distributed, whereas simazine and permethrin were not. With respect to the stability over three months, all pesticides were stable at ?20 °C. Atrazine, simazine, carbaryl, propanil and linuron are also stable for the maximum storage time at +20 °C but the concentration of fenamiphos decreased by about 70% after one month.

The results obtained in the interlaboratory study by the participants were in good agreement for many of the pesticides.     

Polymorphism in copper pyrovanadate

Formation and stability temperatures were determined for the three polymorphs of copper pyrovanadate. The low-temperature β phase is formed at 500°C and is stable from room temperature to 610°C. The intermediate phase is stable within 610–705°C. The high-temperature γ phase is stable within 710–780°C. The rates of γ → α and α → β phase transitions upon cooling differ considerably. α-Cu₂V₂O₇ detected at room temperature upon cooling of a molten sample is metastable.     

Stability of inorganic mercury and methylmercury on yeast-silica gel microcolumns: field sampling capabilities

The stability of methylmercury and inorganic mercury retained on yeast-silica gel microcolumns was established and compared with the stability of these species in solution. Yeast-silica gel columns with the retained analytes were stored for two months at three different temperatures: –20?°C, 4?°C and room temperature. At regular time intervals, both mercury species were eluted and quantified by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS). Methylmercury was found stable in the columns over the two-month period at the three different temperatures tested while the concentration of inorganic mercury decreased after one week’s storage even at –20?°C. These results are of great interest since the use of these microcolumns allows the preconcentration and storage of mercury species until analysis, thus saving laboratory space and avoiding the problems associated with maintaining species integrity in aqueous solution.     

Evaluation of equine urine reactivity towards phase II metabolites of 17‐hydroxy steroids by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Proper storage conditions of biological samples are fundamental to avoid microbiological contamination that can cause chemical modifications of the target analytes. A simple liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method through direct injection of diluted samples, without prior extraction, was used to evaluate the stability of phase II metabolites of boldenone and testosterone (glucuronides and sulphates) in intentionally poorly stored equine urine samples. We also considered the stability of some deuterated conjugated steroids generally used as internal standards, such as deuterated testosterone and epitestosterone glucuronides, and deuterated boldenone and testosterone sulphates. The urines were kept for 1 day at room temperature, to mimic poor storage conditions, then spiked with the above steroids and kept at different temperatures (?18°C, 4°C, room temperature). It has been possible to confirm the instability of glucuronide compounds when added to poorly stored equine urine samples. In particular, both 17β‐ and 17α‐glucuronide steroids were exposed to hydrolysis leading to non‐conjugated steroids. Only 17β‐hydroxy steroids were exposed to oxidation to their keto derivatives whereas the 17α‐hydroxy steroids were highly stable. The sulphate compounds were completely stable. The deuterated compounds underwent the same behaviour as the unlabelled compounds. The transformations were observed in urine samples kept at room temperature and at a temperature of 4°C (at a slower rate). No modifications were observed in frozen urine samples. In the light of the latter results, the immediate freezing at ?18°C of the collected samples and their instant analysis after thawing is the proposed procedure for preventing the transformations that occur in urine, usually due to microbiological contamination. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gas chromatographic retention in uncoated fused silica capillaries

Understanding of retention in uncoated fused‐silica capillaries is of interest due to increased attention on precolumn backflushing in capillary GC. Uncoated capillaries offer several advantages as precolumns compared to coated precolumns. In order to examine the possibility of predicting elution temperatures of alkanes from uncoated capillaries a priori, several sizes of deactivated but uncoated fused‐silica capillaries were evaluated under various operating conditions. Retention was found to depend on dimensionless ramp rate (°C/t_M), sample loading (capacity), flow mode, and column dimensions (probably related to surface area).     

Off-Line and On-Line Preconcentration Techniques for the Determination of Phenylureas in Freshwaters

Abstract

Phenylurea herbicides are analysed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography using UV detection at 244 nm after a concentration step in order to determine ppb or sub-ppb levels in drinking and river waters. With an average UV detection limit of 5 ng, a 500 ml sample volume is necessary to reach the 10 ppt level for spiked LC grade water samples and enables easy determination of concentrations below the ppb level for river water samples. Off-line and on-line methods are compared for the concentration step. Off-line concentration consists in a liquid sorption on n-octadecyl silica (C18) and elution by a suitable organic solvent. Polar phenylureas have low retention volumes on C18 silica and consequently the length of the concentration column has to be 10 cm to concentrate them at the ppb level from 100 ml of water and longer for lower levels of detection. Nevertheless, we show that increasing the size of the concentration column does not improve the limits of detection because of the numerous interferences also concentrated when percolating high volumes of water. On-line technology can be used only with short precolumns and requires a sorbent with a great retention for phenylureas. The copolymer-based PRP-1 is found to be an excellent sorbent and it is then possible to apply on-line precolumn technology with preconcentration through two precolumns (10 × 21 mm ID) in series, the first one being packed with C18 silica and the other with the PRP-1 polymer. Interfering compounds are then trapped onto the first precolumn acting as a filter and common phenylurea-breakthrough volumes on the PRP-1 precolumn are higher than 500 ml. Knowing the amounts preconcentrated on both precolumns and using UV and electrochemical detection help the identification of phenylureas in river water.     

Determination of Methoprene in Water Samples by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

A new high-performance liquid-chromatography method has been developed that can determine low concentrations of methoprene in water samples. The method allows for reliable detection of concentrations between 0.005 μg/mL and 0.5 μg/mL. The detection limit for 5-mL samples is 2.5 ng/mL at 255 nm. The standard curve is linear over the entire concentration range. The method was used to do a stability study on aqueous methoprene samples stored at room temperature and under refrigeration. The study shows that aqueous methoprene samples are stable when stored at 4°C for at least three weeks.     

Simultaneous quantification of mycophenolic acid and its glucuronide metabolites in human plasma by an UPLC–MS/MS assay

The aim of this study was to develop a reliable UPLC–MS/MS assay for accurate quantification of mycophenolic acid (MPA) and its glucuronide conjugates in human plasma. Plasma proteins were precipitated with acetonitrile and the chromatographic separation was achieved on a C₁₈ column with a gradient elution. The detection was performed by a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer in the positive electrospray ionization and multiple reaction monitoring mode. Linearity of the assay was demonstrated over the range of 20–10,000 ng/mL for MPA and MPA glucuronide (MPAG), and 2–1000 ng/mL for acyl MPA glucuronide in human plasma. The assay was precise and accurate with coefficient of variation and bias <15%. MPA and MPAG were stable at 25 °C up to 1 day in both heparin‐ and EDTA‐treated blood. In heparin‐ and EDTA‐plasma, MPA and MPAG were stable for at least 1 week at 25 and 4 °C, and 1 month at ?20 °C. However, 99% acyl MPA glucuronide degraded in both heparin‐ and EDTA‐blood as well as plasma when stored at room temperature for 1 day. All the analytes remained stable for at least 3 months in acidified EDTA‐plasma at ?80 °C. The assay was successfully applied on patients post hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterization of aqueous rose bengal dye solution for the measurement of low doses of gamma radiation

Aqueous solution of rose bengal dye has been studied spectrophotometrically as a gamma-ray dosimeter for the measurement of low doses of radiation. The useful dose range was found to be from 50 to 1000 Gy when the measurements were made at 549 nm. The effects of temperature and light conditions on the stability of response during post-irradiation storage were also investigated. When stored in dark at room temperature, the dosimetric solutions showed a stable response up to 22 days. The storage of irradiated solutions in diffused sunlight showed a stable response only up to 6 days. When exposed to direct sunlight, very prominent and fast bleaching of dye solution occurred. At low storage temperature (ca. 11 °C), dosimetric response was found to be stable up to 22 days while at higher temperature (ca. 30 °C), the response of dosimetric solution was stable only up to 6 days. The rose bengal aqueous solution showed promising characteristics as a low dose radiation dosimeter when stored at lower temperatures (<25 °C) in dark.     

A quantitative LC/MSMS method for determination of edoxaban,a Xa inhibitor and its pharmacokinetic application in patients after total knee arthroplasty

Edoxaban was extracted from human plasma by simple protein precipitation with acetonitrile, followed by quantitative determination using a liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method. The recoveries of edoxaban and the internal standard (ticlopidine) from human plasma were >85%, and the within‐ and between‐day coefficients of variation were within 15%. The limit of quantification in human plasma was 1 ng/mL. The concentration of edoxaban in blood decreased at room temperature, but remained unchanged for 1 week at 4°C. On the other hand, the concentration in plasma at both −20 and −80°C remained unchanged for 5 months. These results indicated that blood samples should be centrifuged immediately or stored at 4°C, and that plasma samples should be stored below −20°C until analysis. This method was applied to human plasma obtained from four patients after total knee arthroplasty. Analysis of edoxaban pharmacokinetics demonstrated an absorption time lag of 4h, a maximum concentration of 110 ± 26 ng/mL and an oral clearance of 37 ± 16 L/h. The analytical methods established in this study will be suitable for determining the concentrations of edoxaban in human plasma.     

Investigations on analyte losses in systems suited for large-volume on-column injections

Summary Use of a large-volume injection system with a solvent vapour exit (SVE) requires optimisation. An appropriate strategy is to determine the evaporation rate by increasing the injection time at a fixed injection speed, injection temperature and head pressure. When measuring the flow rate in the carrier gas supply line to the on-column injector, optimisation can be very rapid: some five injections of pure solvent will be sufficient. When working under partially concurrent solvent evaporation conditions, loss of volatiles is often observed if no retaining precolumn is used between the retention gap and the SVE. To investigate the requirements (length and stationary phase) of the retaining precolumn, C8–C18n-alkanes inn-hexane were used. The minimum length of the retaining precolumn (0.32 mm diameter) needed to prevent substantial losses of volatiles was 2 m. Experiments with retaining precolumns with and without stationary phase gave identical results. This shows that there is no need to coat the capillary as it only acts as a restrictor.     

Novel processable aromatic thermoplastic polyimides: Films,adhesives, moldings,and graphite composites

Novel hot-melt type flexible, tough, thermally stable, processable, thermoplastic, aromatic polyimides have been synthesized involving reaction of a keto-ether containing diamine with hinged aromatic dianhydrides followed by thermal and chemical cyclodehydration. Inherent viscosity in DMAC at 35°C of the synthesized polymers ranged 1.02 to 1.4 dl/g (0.5% solution). The polymers showed a glass transition temperature (T_g) of 250°C to 180°C as determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermomechanical analysis (TMA). Thermogravimetric analysis showed polymer stability up to 510°C, in both air and nitrogen atmospheres. All the polymers have shown good melt-flow. Films of 1.5–2.8 ml thickness were made and tested for mechanical properties at room temperature, 177°C and 210°C. The developed films are suitable for adhesion of Ti/Ti specimens and showed a lap shear strength of 5575 psi. Melt-fusion of the polymers gave tough moldings. Graphite cloth composites have been made and tested for mechanical properties.     

Large-bore particle-entrapped monolithic precolumns prepared by a sol-gel method for on-line peptides trapping and preconcentration in multidimensional liquid chromatography system for proteome analysis

The present report describes the preparation and characterization of large-bore particle-entrapped monolithic precolumns, which are suitable for incorporation into a two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) system for proteome analysis. The fritless precolumns with different inner diameter (i.d.) (320 and 530 microm) were rapidly and successfully prepared by entrapping octadecylsilica (ODS) particles (5 microm, 300 A) prepacked into fused silica capillaries with a sol-gel network, which was formed by hydrolysis and polycondensation of methyltriethoxysilane (MTES). By optimizing the composition of the sol solution, the resulting large-bore monolithic precolumns of 5 mm length allow a flow rate of 20 microL/min loading buffer at a reasonable low back pressure of 25 bar or less and are capable of withstanding up to 300 bar inlet pressure. Scanning electron micrograms of the precolumns profile showed that the evolving sol-gel network joined particles to each other and onto the column wall, and no cracking or shrinkage of the column bed was observed even in 530 microm-i.d. capillary. The performance of the particle-entrapped monolithic precolumns used for preconcentration and desalting of proteolytic digest was evaluated by on-line coupling the large-bore precolumns with a capillary reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (RPLC) column followed by UV detection. The laboratory-made monolithic precolumns with 320 and 530 microm i.d. were characterized by using BSA tryptic digest or peptide standards as the analytes with respect to sample loading capacity, linearity, recovery and reproducibility, etc. The results indicate that the large-bore and short precolumns (5 mm x 320 microm i.d. or 5 mm x 530 microm i.d.) allow sample fast loading at a flow rate of 30 or 60 microL/min. The precolumns also have a mass loading capacity for BSA peptides of about 70 microg and for standard peptides of about 80 microg. Good linear calibration curves (R2 > 0.99) were obtained and the limits of detection (signal-to-noise ratio, S/N = 3) were improved by more than 60-fold and were between 0.53 and 1.32 ng/microL even with a UV absorbance detector. The total recovery was found to be approximately 90-100% for BSA digest and standard peptides. The day-to-day relative standard deviation (RSD) values for recoveries of BSA peptides on a single precolumn ranged from 4.66 to 7.56% and 2.68 to 3.05% for precolumn back pressure, while the column-to-column RSD values were 3.51-6.13% and 1.22-1.26% for recoveries of BSA peptides and precolumn back pressure, respectively. With good precolumn reproducibility, no significant degradation or decrease in precolumn performance was showed even after approximately 150 preconcentration/desorption cycles. The precolumns also proved to be resistant to salt buffer with high concentration and low-pH mobile phase. The large-bore particle-entrapped monolithic precolumns will be further used in a high-throughput 2D-LC array system coupled with tandem matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-TOF-MS) detection for proteome analysis.     

Some Physico-chemical Properties of Doxazosin Mesylate Polymorphic Forms and its Amorphous State

Seven polymorphic modifications of doxazosin mesylate, designed as forms A, D, E, F, G, H, I, and the amorphous state were studied by thermal methods (TG and DSC), temperature resolved X-ray powder diffractometry, hot stage and scanning electron microscopy and by FT-IR spectroscopy. Amorphous form was obtained either by fast evaporation of the solvent or by fast cooling of the melt in the DSC. Polymorphs A and F were found to be stable in the temperature range from room temperature to their melting points at 277.9 and 276.5°C, respectively. Form G, which melts at 270.8°C, was found to be hygroscopic. Polymorph D undergoes irreversible solid–liquid–solid phase transition at 235.5°C to polymorph I which melts at 274.9°C. Form H, which melts at 258.0°C, was found to be unstable at high temperatures. DSC examinations revealed that form H is irreversibly transformed to polymorph F during heating above the temperature of about 240°C. The amorphous state was found to be stable at room temperature but when heating above the glass transition (T _g=144.1°C) it crystallizes at 221.6°C, what leads into a mixture of polymorphic forms. The new polymorphic form designed as E was identified in the mixture. The polymorph E is converted by heating to the more stable form F. The solubilities at 25°C for forms A, and F in methanol are 3.5 and 7.7 mg mL⁻¹and in water they are 3.8 and 6.2 mg mL⁻¹, respectively. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermal study of NaP zeolite with different morphologies

NaP zeolites samples with different morphologies were successfully synthesized and their thermal behaviors were fully characterized by in situ HT-XRD, IR spectrum, and TG-DSC techniques. It was found that the cubic zeolite NaP phase underwent the same phase transitions, despite their different morphologies. During the whole heating process, they first underwent a minor phase transition into the tetragonal phase at 200 °C. Then they were gradually converted into the phillipsite phase between 400 and 700 °C. Finally, a very stable NaAlSiO₄ nepheline phase formed when the calcination temperature reached 800 °C, which would be kept even after the sample was cooled to room temperature. Although samples with different morphologies had similar phase transitions, they did have different thermal stability as proved by the TG-DSC study.     

GC-FID optimization and validation for determination of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine and methamphetamine in ecstasy tablets

A methodology for the determination of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and methamphetamine (MA) in seized tablets using gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) is described. The chromatographic conditions, i.e. gas flow rates and temperatures for the column, injector and detector were optimized. The optimum chromatographic conditions were as follows: a CP-SIL 24 CB WCOT fused silica capillary column (30 m × 0.32 mm I.D., 0.25 μm film thickness), N₂ carrier gas flowing at 2.6 mL/min, injector temperature at 290°C and detector temperature at 300°C. The oven temperature was ramped from 80°C at a rate of 20°C/min to final temperature of 270°C (1 min). All analytes were well separated within 7 min with an analysis time of 10.5 min. Calibration curves were linear over the concentration ranges of 3.125–200 μg/mL for MDMA and 6.25–200 μg/mL for MDA and MA (r > 0.990). The intra- and inter-day precisions for determining all analytes were 2.32–10.38% RSD and 1.15–9.77% RSD, respectively. The intra- and inter-day accuracies ranged from −19.79 to +17.51% DEV and −6.84 to +5.2% DEV, respectively. The lower limits of quantification (LLOQs) were 3.125 μg/mL for MDMA and 6.25 μg/mL for MDA and MA. All analytes were stable at room temperature during 24 h but significant loss occurred after 2-month storage at −20°C. The method was shown to be useful for determining the purity of MDMA in seized tablets.     

In vitro stability of free and glucuronidated cannabinoids in urine following controlled smoked cannabis

Analyte stability is an important factor in urine test interpretation, yet cannabinoid stability data are limited. A comprehensive study of Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-hydroxy-THC (11-OH-THC), 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC (THCCOOH), cannabidiol, cannabinol, THC-glucuronide, and THCCOOH-glucuronide stabilities in authentic urine was completed. Urine samples after ad libitum cannabis smoking were pooled to prepare low and high pools for each study participant; baseline concentrations were measured within 24 h at room temperature (RT), 4 °C and -20 °C. Stability at RT, 4 °C and ?20 °C was evaluated by Friedman tests for up to 1 year. THCCOOH, THC-glucuronide, and THCCOOH-glucuronide were quantified in baseline pools. RT THCCOOH baseline concentrations were significantly higher than ?20 °C, but not 4 °C baseline concentrations. After 1 week at RT, THCCOOH increased, THCCOOH-glucuronide decreased, but THC-glucuronide was unchanged. In RT low pool, total THCCOOH (THCCOOH?+?THCCOOH-glucuronide) was significantly lower after 1 week. At 4 °C, THCCOOH was stable 2 weeks, THCCOOH-glucuronide 1 month and THC-glucuronide for at least 6 months. THCCOOH was stable frozen for 1 year, but 6 months high pool results were significantly higher than baseline; THC-glucuronide and THCCOOH-glucuronide were stable for 6 months. Total THCCOOH was stable 6 months at 4 °C, and frozen 6 months (low) and 1 year (high). THC, cannabidiol and cannabinol were never detected in urine; although not detected initially, 11-OH-THC was detected in 2 low and 3 high pools after 1 week at RT. Substantial THCCOOH-glucuronide deconjugation was observed at RT and 4 °C. Analysis should be conducted within 3 months if non-hydrolyzed THCCOOH or THCCOOH-glucuronide quantification is required.

Microemulsions of Potassium Oleate,Tween-20, Propylene Carbonate,and Ethylene Glycol as Drug Vehicles for Mefenamic Acid

Different microemulsions were prepared with and without mefenamic acid (MFA). The base microemulsion was mainly composed of distilled water; the aqueous phase, propylene carbonate; the oil phase, potassium oleate; the surfactant, and finally di-ethylene glycol; the cosurfactant. The effect of mixing ionic (potassium oleate) with nonionic (Tween-20) surfactant was investigated via constructing the phase diagrams of such systems. Changes in conductivity and viscosity of the freshly prepared microemulsion over time were monitored as an indication for the stability of the microemulsion. Measurements were carried out at room temperature, after a freeze-thaw cycle and also after storage for 3 days at 60°C, where the latter is treated as an accelerated test for the time-temperature effects on the stability of a microemulsion. It was found that a set of surfactants, instead of a single surfactant, and inclusion of cosurfactant resulted in a broader region where a stable microemulsion is predominant. At a mass ratio of 1:2 of potassium oleate to Tween-20, O/W microemulsions were found to have maximum stability among all examined systems, under the accelerated test, such that they have a minimum portion of combined surfactants and cosurfactant of 60 wt% and maximum of 80 wt%. With the aforementioned specifications, no phase separation and neither significant change in the conductivity nor in the viscosity was observed in any of the examined systems after subjecting them both to the accelerated and freeze-thaw cycle test, indicating that such systems were thermodynamically stable. Samples of micro emulsions passing previous tests were further subjected to an acidic medium by dispersing 1 g of MFA-containing microemulsion in 10 g HCl solution (pH 1) in a shaking water bath at 37°C, for a 6 hour period. The maximum solubility of MFA in a stable microemulsion was approximately 5 wt%, evaluated at room temperature.     

Transition metal—Chalcogen systems,V.

The iron—tellurium phase diagram was investigated by thermal, X-ray, and isopiestic measurements up to 1,100°C. Tetragonal β(≈FeTe_0.9) with a homogeneity range from 45.9 to 48.1 at % Te at 715°C is stable from room temperature to 844°C where it decomposes peritectoidally into Fe and rhombohedral high-temperature β′(≈FeTe_0.9). β′ decomposes at 914°C peritectically into Fe and liquid, and at 800°C by a eutectoid reaction into β and γ(≈FeTe_1.2). γ exists between 809° (γ→β′+δ) and 636°C (γ→β+δ). The monoclinically distorted NiAs-phase δ decomposes peritectically at 55.2 at % Te and 812°C into β′ and liquid and is stable down to the eutectoid δ?β+δ′ at 565±15°C and 58.8 at % Te. δ is separated from hexagonal NiAs-type δ′ by a narrow two-phase region. δ′ has a maximum range of homogeneity at 650°C from 59.2 to 65.1 at % Te and exists between the eutectoid δ′?β+ε at 519°C and the peritectic δ+L?δ′ at 766°C. Orthorhombic ε(≈FeTe_2.0) is stable from room temperature to the peritectic δ′+L=ε at 649°C. ε and Te form a degenerate eutectic at 446°C.