Direct determination of resin and fatty acids in process waters of paper industries by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS)-based methods were developed for the analysis of 10 resin acids and five fatty acids in process waters of paper industries. No fragmentation of target compounds was observed using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) with negative ionization. The [M - H](-) ion permitted the individual quantification of fatty and aromatic resin acids, whereas the non-aromatic resin acids presented a single and common ion at m/z 301. Separation with two columns of different polarity permitted peak confirmation. The method that used a C(8) column with 2-propanol in the mobile phase allowed a certain separation and identification of the non-aromatic resin acids, whereas the method using a C(18) column provided detection limits 10-fold lower for fatty acids. Limits of detection were 0.10 ng for all compounds. Direct sample introduction was compared with liquid-liquid extraction, with similar recoveries (70-101%). Whereas slightly lower detection limits were obtained with liquid-liquid extraction, better reproducibility was observed for direct sample introduction. Resin and fatty acids were determined in process waters of several paper industries. Palmitic, dehydroabietic and non-aromatic resin acids were encountered in most water samples, at levels between 22 and 403 micro g l(-1). LC/MS with direct sample introduction was found to be a good alternative to traditional liquid-liquid extraction and gas chromatography for the analysis of such compounds since no derivatization was required and sample manipulation was minimal.     

Application of anion‐exchange imidazolium silica for the multiphase dispersive extraction of phenolic acids

This paper reports the application of a multiphase dispersive extraction method to the extraction, separation, and determination of the phenolic acids from Salicornia herbacea L. using silica‐confined ionic liquids as sorbents. A suitable sorbent for phenolic acid extraction and separation was first identified based on the adsorption behavior of the phenolic acids on different silica‐confined ionic liquids. The sample was then mixed with the optimized sorbent and solvent to achieve multiphase dispersive extraction. The sample/sorbent ratio was optimized using theoretical calculations from the adsorption isotherm and experiments. After transferring the supernatant to an empty cartridge, an SPE process was used to separate the three phenolic acids from the other interference. Through systematic optimization, the optimal conditions produced high recovery rates of protocatechuic acid (91.20%), caffeic acid (94.03%), and ferulic acid (91.33%). Overall, the proposed method is expected to have wide applicability.     

Experimental design for extraction and quantification of phenolic compounds and organic acids in white "Vinho Verde" grapes

An experimental design was applied for the optimization of extraction and clean-up processes of phenolic compounds and organic acids from white “Vinho Verde” grapes. The developed analytical method consisted in two steps: first a solid-liquid extraction of both phenolic compounds and organic acids and then a clean-up step using solid-phase extraction (SPE). Afterwards, phenolic compounds and organic acids were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to a diode array detector (DAD) and HPLC-UV, respectively. Plackett-Burman design was carried out to select the significant experimental parameters affecting both the extraction and the clean-up steps. The identified and quantified phenolic compounds were: quercetin-3-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside, quercetin, kaempferol and epicatechin. The determined organic acids were oxalic, citric, tartaric, malic, shikimic and fumaric acids. The obtained results showed that the most important variables were the temperature (40 °C) and the solvent (acid water at pH 2 with 5% methanol) for the extraction step and the type of sorbent (C18 non end-capped) for the clean-up step.     

固相萃取-气相色谱-串联质谱法检测水中18种酚类化合物

当前水中酚类化合物种类不清、危害不明，多种酚类化合物的同时检测方法不成熟，因此建立水中多种酚类化合物同时检测的方法具有重要现实意义。该研究建立了固相萃取结合气相色谱-串联质谱同时检测水中18种酚类化合物的分析方法。实验选择超纯水为空白样品，采用固相萃取技术富集、提取水中的酚类化合物，同时对水样初始pH值、洗脱液的种类、洗脱液的用量等条件进行优化，从而确定出最优的前处理方法，最后利用气相色谱-串联质谱法对不同种类的酚类化合物同时进行定量检测。实验结果表明，在初始水样pH值为3.0、不衍生等条件下，使用10 mL乙酸乙酯洗脱，控制洗脱速度为1 mL/min，经固相柱富集净化，氮吹浓缩后，用气相色谱-质谱仪（EI源）测定，选择离子模式监测，外标法定量。结果表明，以3倍信噪比结合浓度外推法确定方法检出限，为0.04~0.6 μg/L；18种酚类化合物的加标回收率为51.7%~117.3%，相对标准偏差为3.1%~7.4%。应用建立的方法分别检测了河流湖泊水、生活用水、生产用水3大类6种不同的水质。检测结果表明，河流湖泊水中酚类化合物所含种类最多，含量最高。研究建立的方法不需要衍生，简化了前处理方法，操作简单，且准确性高，重复性好，可同时检测复杂水体中多种酚类化合物，能显著提高酚类化合物的分析速率。该方法的建立对我国水中酚类化合物残留水平的控制、检测标准的制定和管理措施的采取，都具有重要的理论和现实意义。     

Solid-phase extraction versus matrix solid-phase dispersion: Application to white grapes

The use of matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) was tested to, separately, extract phenolic compounds and organic acids from white grapes. This method was compared with a more conventional analytical method previously developed that combines solid liquid extraction (SL) to simultaneously extract phenolic compounds and organic acids followed by a solid-phase extraction (SPE) to separate the two types of compounds. Although the results were qualitatively similar for both techniques, the levels of extracted compounds were in general quite lower on using MSPD, especially for organic acids. Therefore, SL-SPE method was preferred to analyse white “Vinho Verde” grapes. Twenty samples of 10 different varieties (Alvarinho, Avesso, Asal-Branco, Batoca, Douradinha, Esganoso de Castelo Paiva, Loureiro, Pedernã, Rabigato and Trajadura) from four different locations in Minho (Portugal) were analysed in order to study the effects of variety and origin on the profile of the above mentioned compounds. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied separately to establish the main sources of variability present in the data sets for phenolic compounds, organic acids and for the global data. PCA of phenolic compounds accounted for the highest variability (77.9%) with two PCs, enabling characterization of the varieties of samples according to their higher content in flavonol derivatives or epicatechin. Additionally, a strong effect of sample origin was observed. Stepwise linear discriminant analysis (SLDA) was used for differentiation of grapes according to the origin and variety, resulting in a correct classification of 100 and 70%, respectively.     

Combined microwave-assisted isolation and solid-phase purification procedures prior to the chromatographic determination of phenolic compounds in plant materials

A fast, sensitive and selective procedure employing a combination of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and solid phase extraction (SPE) was applied prior to liquid chromatographic identification and quantification of phenolic compounds in plant materials. MAE has been tested and optimized for the isolation of phenolic acids (gallic, protocatechuic, p-hydroxybenzoic, chlorogenic, vanilic, caffeic, syringic, p-coumaric, ferulic, sinapic, benzoic, m-coumaric, o-coumaric, rosmarinic, cinnamic acids) and 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, syringaldehyde, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, and vanillin in various plants. The effects of experimental conditions on MAE efficiency, such as solvent composition, temperature, extraction time, have been studied. The extraction efficiencies were compared with those obtained by computer-controlled, two-step Soxhlet-like extractions. Plant extracts were purified and phenolic compounds were pre-concentrated using SPE on polymeric RP-105 SPE sorbent prior to HPLC analysis. Chromatographic separation was carried out on a Hypersil BDS C₁₈ column using a mobile phase consisted of 0.3% (v/v) acetic acid in water (solvent A) and methanol (solvent B) at flow rate 0.6 ml min⁻¹ and column temperature 30 °C with gradient elution.     

Solid-phase extraction and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography of free phenolic acids in some Echinacea species

A new method is described combining solid-phase extraction (SPE) and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) for the isolation, purification as well as qualitative and quantitative determination of free phenolic acids in six Echinacea species. Plant extracts were purified and phenolic acids isolated on octadecyl and quaternary amine Bakerbond SPE columns; final eluates were analysed by RP-HPLC. Significant differences in the composition and amount of phenolic acids within Echinacea genus have been shown. The method can be used for quick screening analysis of the content of phenolic acids in plant material.     

New CE-ESI-MS analytical method for the separation, identification and quantification of seven phenolic acids including three isomer compounds in virgin olive oil

A sensitive and expeditious CE-ESI-MS analytical method for the separation, identification and determination of seven selected antioxidants (cinnamic and benzoic acids), including three isomers of coumaric acid (ortho-, meta- and para-) has been developed. In order to obtain the analytical separation, capillary electrophoresis and CE-MS interface parameters (e.g., buffer pH and composition, sheath liquid and gas flow rates, sheath liquid composition, electrospray voltage, etc.) were carefully optimized.The polar fraction containing the selected phenolic acids was obtained using a previously optimized SPE pretreatment. An MS detector in order to extract structural information about the target compounds and facilitate their qualitative analysis was used in the negative ion mode. The proposed off-line SPE CE-ESI-MS method was validated by assessing its precision, LODs and LOQs, linearity range and accuracy.The optimized and validated method was used in order to quantify the selected antioxidants in various samples of virgin olive oil and extra-virgin olive oil obtained from the main olive varieties cropped in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. Salicylic acid was used as internal standard throughout in order to ensure reproducibility in the quantitative analysis of the oil samples.The results confirmed the presence of hydroxyphenyl acetic, p-coumaric, ferulic and vanillic acids in substantial amounts (μg g⁻¹ level) in all samples.     

Determination of phenolic acids in olive oil by capillary electrophoresis

A CZE method for the separation and quantitation of phenolic acids (cinnamic, syringic, p-coumaric, vanillic, caffeic, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic, protocatechuic), extracted from extra virgin olive oil, was developed. The sample preparation involved the LLE and SPE extraction methods. CE separation was performed in a fused silica capillary of I.D.= 50microm using as a BGE 40 mM borate buffer at pH=9.2. The separation voltage was 18kV with corresponding current of 27-28 microA. Detection was accomplished with UV-detector at lambda=200nm. The proposed method was fully validated. A good repeatability of migration time (RSD% ranged from 0.81 to 1.63) and of corrected peak area (RSD% from 2.89 to 5.77) was obtained. The linearity of detector response in the range from 5 to 50 ppm was checked, obtaining the correlation coefficient R2 values in the range: 0.9919-0.9997. Some phenolic acids in real oil samples were detected and quantified with the proposed method.     

A solid-phase extraction procedure for the clean-up of thiram from aqueous solutions containing high concentrations of humic substances

A simple solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure with an octadecyl bonded phase silica (C₁₈) was developed for clean-up of the fungicide thiram from aqueous solutions containing high concentrations of humic substances, for future studies of thiram adsorption onto solid humic substances or soils. Suspensions of humic acids and soil, in aqueous 0.01 M CaCl₂ solution, were prepared and used as samples. These extracts were spiked with thiram and immediately applied to a C₁₈-SPE cartridge. Thiram was eluted with chloroform and its concentration measured by spectrophotometry at 283 nm. Non-spiked aqueous extracts (blanks) and a control sample of thiram in 0.01 M CaCl₂ aqueous solution were also prepared and submitted to the same SPE procedure. The results show that humic substances are extensively retained by the C₁₈ cartridge but are not eluted with CHCl₃. Recoveries of 100-104% were obtained for thiram in the presence of humic substances. The SPE procedure described in this work is an efficient clean-up step to remove the interference of humic substances absorbance and to be coupled to any spectrophotometric or HPLC-UV method, usually used for thiram analysis in food extracts.     

Selective extraction of derivates of p-hydroxy-benzoic acid from plant material by using a molecularly imprinted polymer

Selective SPE of derivates of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (pHBA) from plant extract of Melissa officinalis is presented using a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) made with protocatechuic acid (PA) as template molecule. MIP was prepared with acrylamide as functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as crosslinking monomer and ACN as porogen. MIP was evaluated towards six phenolic acids: PA, gallic acid, pHBA, vanillic acid (VA), gentisic acid (GeA) and syringic acid (SyrA), and then steps of molecularly imprinted SPE (MISPE) procedure were optimized. The best specific binding capacity of MIP was obtained for PA in ACN (34.7 microg/g of MIP). Other tested acids were also bound on MIP if they were dissolved in this solvent. ACN was chosen as solvent for sample application. M. officinalis was extracted into methanol/water (4:1, v/v), the extract was then evaporated to dryness and dissolved in ACN before application on MIP. Water and ACN were used as washing solvents and elution of benzoic acids was performed by means of a mixture methanol/acetic acid (9:1, v/v). pHBA, GA, PA and VA were extracted with recoveries of 56.3-82.1% using this MISPE method. GeA was not determined in plant extract.     

饮用水中9种卤乙酸的超高效液相色谱法测定

建立了固相萃取/超高效液相色谱(SPE/UPLC)测定饮用水中9种痕量卤乙酸(HAAs)的分析方法.对固相萃取和液相色谱等分析条件进行了优化,选择Lichrolut EN固相萃取小柱富集饮用水中的HAAs,三乙胺-磷酸缓冲液和甲醇作为UPLC的流动相.在优化的分析条件下,9种卤乙酸在6min内实现基线分离,所有目标物在一定质量浓度范围内线性良好,相关系数为0.995 7～0.9999;一氯乙酸(MCAA)的检出限为10.85μg/L,其它8种化合物的检出限为0.25～0.70μg/L;除MCAA外,其它目标物在低、中、高3种加标水平的回收率为60%～106%.方法的相对标准偏差(RSD,n=5)为2.0%～5.7%.将此方法应用于我国北方某城市自来水中卤乙酸的测定,5种HAAs被检出.方法灵敏度高、简便快捷,可用于生活饮用水中痕量卤乙酸的测定.     

Solid-phase/supercritical-fluid extraction for liquid chromatography of phenolic compounds in freshwater microalgae and selected cyanobacterial species

In the present paper a new extraction technique based on the combination of solid-phase/supercritical-fluid extraction (SPE/SFE) with subsequent reversed-phase HPLC is described. The SPE/SFE extractor was originally constructed from SPE-cartridge incorporated into the SFE extraction cell. Selected groups of benzoic acid derivatives (p-hydroxybenzoic, protocatechuic, gallic, vanillic and syringic acid), hydroxybenzaldehydes (4-hydroxybenzaldehyde and 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde) and cinnamic acid derivatives (o-coumaric, p-coumaric, caffeic, ferulic, sinapic and chlorogenic acid) were extracted. Cyclic addition of binary extraction solvent system based on methanol:water (1:1, v/v) and methanol/ammonia aqueous solution was used for extraction at 40 MPa and 80 °C. The p-hydroxybenzoic, protocatechuic, vanillic, syringic, caffeic and chlorogenic acid; 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde and 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde were identified by HPLC-electrospray mass spectrometry in SPE/SFE extracts of acid hydrolyzates of microalga (Spongiochloris spongiosa) and cyanobacterial strains (Spirulina platensis, Anabaena doliolum, Nostoc sp., and Cylindrospermum sp.). For the identification and quantification of the compounds the quasi-molecular ions [M−H]⁻ and specific fragments were analysed by quadrupole mass spectrometry analyzer. Our analysis showed that the microalgae and cyanobacteria usually contained phenolic acids or aldehydes at μg levels per gram of lyophilized sample. The proposed SPE/SFE extraction method would be useful for the analysis of different plant species containing trace amount of polar fraction of phenols.     

Separation of phenolic acids from sugarcane rind by online solid‐phase extraction with high‐speed counter‐current chromatography

Sugarcane rind contains some functional phenolic acids. The separation of these compounds from sugarcane rind is able to realize the integrated utilization of the crop and reduce environment pollution. In this paper, a novel protocol based on interfacing online solid‐phase extraction with high‐speed counter‐current chromatography (HSCCC) was established, aiming at improving and simplifying the process of phenolic acids separation from sugarcane rind. The conditions of online solid‐phase extraction with HSCCC involving solvent system, flow rate of mobile phase as well as saturated extent of absorption of solid‐phase extraction were optimized to improve extraction efficiency and reduce separation time. The separation of phenolic acids was performed with a two‐phase solvent system composed of butanol/acetic acid/water at a volume ratio of 4:1:5, and the developed online solid‐phase extraction with HSCCC method was validated and successfully applied for sugarcane rind, and three phenolic acids including 6.73 mg of gallic acid, 10.85 mg of p‐coumaric acid, and 2.78 mg of ferulic acid with purities of 60.2, 95.4, and 84%, respectively, were obtained from 150 mg sugarcane rind crude extracts. In addition, the three different elution methods of phenolic acids purification including HSCCC, elution–extrusion counter‐current chromatography and back‐extrusion counter‐current chromatography were compared.     

Influence of the presence of surfactants and humic acid in waters on the indophenol-type reaction method for ammonium determination

This work has evaluated the influence of humic acid and/or surfactants in the quantification of ammonium in waters with the indophenol-type reaction method. Thymol has been employed with the colorimetric method for sample ammonium concentrations between 0.25 and 1 mg L⁻¹. In addition, SPE/diffuse reflectance method has been used for quantification of ammonium at low concentrations (between 0.025 and 0.25 mg L⁻¹). Matrix effect owing to humic substances were observed with the colorimetric method when the concentration was equal or higher than 25 mg L⁻¹. Lower concentrations of humic compounds produced matrix effects with the more sensitive SPE/diffuse reflectance method. Generalized H-point standard addition method (GHPSAM) was employed for evaluating the effect of humic acids and for eliminating the bias error produced by humic acids. Real water samples of different types were analyzed and accurate results for ammonium concentration were obtained with both procedures in presence or absence of humic acids. Cationic and anionic surfactants inhibited the derivatization reaction at percentages up to 0.001% and 0.5%, respectively, and non-ionic surfactants at percentages of 5.5%     

Potentiometric studies on the complexation of copper(II) by phenolic acids as discrete ligand models of humic substances

Studies on the complexation of copper(II) by phenolic acids, as ligand models of humic substances were done by potentiometry. The acids under study were: 3,4-dihydroxyhydrocinnamic acid or hydrocaffeic acid (1), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (2) and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid or protocatechuic acid (3). Acidity constants of the ligands and the formation constants of metal-ligand complexes were evaluated by computer programs. The carboxylic group of the phenolic acids has different pK_a1 values, being the dissociation constants intrinsically related with the distance between the function and the aromatic nucleus. The results obtained allow concluding that acidity constants of the catechol moiety of the compounds are similar with pK_a2 and pK_a3 values between 9.47-9.41 and 11.55-11.70. The complexation properties of the three ligands towards copper(II) ion are quite similar, being the species found not different either in nature or stability. Although the model ligands have some structural differences no significant differences were found in their complexation properties towards copper(II). So, it can be postulated that complexation process is intrinsically related with the presence of a catechol group.     

Automated on-line-solid-phase extraction—high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection of phenolic compounds in sherry wine

A new analytical method has been developed for sample preconcentration and analysis of phenolic compounds in sherry wine using on-line solid-phase extraction(SPE)-HPLC-diode array detection. The samples of wine were injected and adsorbed onto polystyrene divinylbenzene cartridges; a robotic semiflexible system was used to automate the SPE stage. Chromatographic separation was carried out in a Symmetry C₁₈ steel cartridge, with a two-step elution gradient. Peaks were identified by comparing their UV spectra with the library of spectra compiled by the authors.     

Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry studies of the phenolic compounds in honey

An improved and simplified analytical method which offers rapid, accurate determination and identification of phenolic compounds in honey samples is reported. The honey samples were diluted by acidified water (pH 2), and analyzed by HPLC–ESI-MS/MS. Simultaneously determination of phenolic acids and flavonoids was carried out by a liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Comparison between atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) was performed by analysis of standards. Fragmentation of analytes for subsequent selective Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) analysis was investigated in negative mode. Sample preparation without separation of sugars and clean-up procedure, followed by fast chromatographic separation using a narrow-bore column C18 (50 mm × 2.1 mm, 3 μm) allowed the analysis to be completed in a short run time. LODs were ranged between 1 and 15 ng L⁻¹ for p-coumaric acid and naringenin, respectively. The method was applied for determination of phenolic acids and flavonoids in honey samples from different botanical origin.     

Solid-phase extraction on alkyl-bonded silica gels in inorganic analysis.

Solid-phase extraction (SPE) is an effective tool for the preconcentration of trace elements and their separation from various sample constituents. Octadecyl and other alkyl-bonded silica gels are most widely used for these purposes. The fundamentals of the SPE of inorganic ions are reviewed and compared with those of related techniques (liquid-liquid extraction and reversed-phase liquid chromatography). The extraction of ions in the form of chelate compounds, inorganic salts solvated by neutral reagents, and ion-pair compounds is considered. Numerous applications of SPE to the separation and preconcentration of different elements and their species, including on-line combinations with instrumental determination techniques, are described and tabulated.     

Optimization of phenolic compounds analysis by capillary electrophoresis

Operational parameters like migration time, temperature, voltage, composition of background electrolyte and content of organic modifier were optimized in CZE for the determination of lignin-like phenolic compounds.The applied background electrolyte buffer consisted of a Na₂B₄O₇, KH₂PO₄ aqueous solution, pH 9.15 using acetonitrile as organic modifier with UV-detection. Compounds, such as acetosyringone, acetovanillone, syringealdehyde, p-hydroxyacetophenone, vanillin, syringic acid, ferulic acid, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, p-coumaric acid, vanillic acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid were applied as reference compounds.The quality and quantity of different phenolic compounds obtained upon alkaline CuO oxidation of a commercial humic acid were determined with CZE using ethylvanillin as internal standard.The optimized CZE revealed has being an appropriate method since it is quick, sensitive and quantitative and does not require a time-consuming sample preparation.