Hydrophobic‐hydrophilic monolithic dual‐phase layer for two‐dimensional thin‐layer chromatography coupled with surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy detection

Hydrophobic‐hydrophilic monolithic dual‐phase plates have been prepared by a two‐step polymerization method for two‐dimensional thin‐layer chromatography of low‐molecular‐weight compounds, namely, several dyes. The thin 200 μm poly(glycidyl methacrylate‐co‐ethylene dimethacrylate) layers attached to microscope glass plates were prepared using a UV‐initiated polymerization method within a simple glass mold. After cutting and cleaning the specific area of the layer, the reassembled mold was filled with a polymerization mixture of butyl methacrylate and ethylene dimethacrylate and subsequently irradiated with UV light. During the second polymerization process, the former layer was protected from the UV light with a UV mask. After extracting the porogens and hydrolyzing the poly(glycidyl methacrylate‐co‐ethylene dimethacrylate) area, these two‐dimensional layers were used to separate a mixture of dyes with great difference in their polarity using reversed‐phase chromatography mode within the hydrophobic layer and then hydrophilic interaction chromatography mode along the hydrophilic area. In the latter dimension only the specific spot was developed further. Detection of the separated dyes could be achieved with surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy.     

Determination of chlorogenic acid,polyphenols and antioxidants in green coffee by thin‐layer chromatography,effect‐directed analysis and dot blot – comparison to HPLC and spectrophotometry methods

The great prevalence of thin‐layer chromatography over high‐performance liquid chromatography is connected with the possibility of analyzing many samples in parallel. Therefore, the method is often used in screening and/or effect directed analysis to compare composition and chemical/biological properties of many samples in one run. It was already proved, that high performance thin‐layer chromatography, in many cases, can replace high‐performance liquid chromatography for quantitative analysis. The main aim of the paper is to show that simple thin‐layer chromatography can also be used as a quantitative or at least as a semi‐quantitative method, even when it concerns effect directed analysis e.g. direct bioautography. Chlorogenic acid content was measured in four methanol extracts of various green coffees and in one extract of black coffee using thin‐layer chromatography with ultraviolet detection and thin‐layer chromatography with effect directed detection. High‐performance liquid chromatography was used as a reference method. Additionally, total contents of polyphenols and antioxidants were estimated using thin‐layer chromatography or dot‐blot on chromatography plates. These results were compared to spectrophotometric methods. It was proved that thin‐layer chromatography can be used as a quantitative (using densitometry) or semi‐quantitative method (using other detection methods including effect directed detection) as well as for estimating total antioxidants or polyphenols content.     

Rapid detection of six phosphodiesterase type 5 enzyme inhibitors in healthcare products using thin‐layer chromatography and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy combined with BP neural network

A novel facile method for the detection of the phosphodiesterase type 5 enzyme inhibitors added illegally into health products was established using thin‐layer chromatography and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy combined with BP neural network. When the detection conditions were optimized in detail, a repetitive adding procedure of silver colloids with the total amount keeping constant was used to improve the enhancement effect of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. According to the main Raman peaks and the retention factor of analyte, the data predictive model was established. Under the optimized experimental conditions, this method was successful to apply to detect the artificially produced model samples, and the limit of detection less than 5 mg/kg was obtained. Based on the excellent sensitivity of this method, the real samples have been detected accurately and the detection results were confirmed by high‐performance liquid chromatography. In addition, the developed method was suitable for the detection of other adulterants, especially those that have similar chromatographic or spectroscopic behaviors.     

Recent advances in the preparation of adsorbent layers for thin‐layer chromatography combined with matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass‐spectrometric detection

This review is focused on planar chromatography hyphenated with mass‐spectrometric detection for analysis of low‐molecular‐mass solutes. Various kinds of hyphenations are discussed with attention paid to the preparation of thin layer plates suited both for the mass‐spectrometric detection of the resolved solutes direct from thin‐layer plates and for indirect mass‐spectrometric detection of the resolved solutes, performed by scraping, extracting, purifying, and concentrating the analyte from the thin‐layer chromatography plate. Plates with monolithic layers are relatively new for thin‐layer chromatography but they can successfully be combined with mass‐spectrometric technique in a pursuit of comprehensive local sample composition information. Preparation of monolithic layers of different porosity and structure based on organic, inorganic, and composite materials is illustrated together with examples of successful separation and detection of low‐molecular‐mass solutes by means of matrix‐assisted and surface‐assisted laser desorption mass spectrometry.     

Thin‐layer chromatography—an image‐processing method for the determination of acidic catecholamine metabolites

A sensitive and convenient method for acidic catecholamine metabolites (including homovanillic acid, vanillylmandelic acid, 3,4‐dihydroxymandelic acid, and 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid) determination was developed based on thin‐layer chromatography and image‐processing analysis. The metabolites were separated without a prederivatization step using reversed phase RP‐18W high‐performance plates. The mobile phase composition, detection, and quantification conditions were systematically investigated through several trials. The reaction with 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical allowed specific detection of acidic catecholamine metabolites with a high sensitivity and a wide linear range. The limit of detection and the limit of quantification were in the range of 13–103 and 18–120 ng/spot, respectively, in all cases. Mean recoveries determined were in the range 95–106% for all of the investigated compounds. The proposed method allowed rapid simultaneous determination of acidic catecholamine metabolites from spiked human urine sample.     

Determination of anti‐malaria agent chloroquine using single drop liquid‐liquid‐liquid microextraction

A simple, sensitive, and inexpensive single drop liquid‐liquid‐liquid microextraction combined with isocratic RP‐HPLC and UV detection was developed for the determination of anti‐malaria drug, chloroquine. The target compound was extracted from alkaline aqueous sample solution (adjusted to 0.5 mol/L sodium hydroxide) through a thin layer of organic solvent membrane and back‐extracted to an acidic acceptor drop (adjusted to 0.02 mol/L phosphoric acid) suspended on the tip of a 25 μL HPLC syringe in the organic layer. This syringe was also used for direct injection after extraction. The linear range was 1–200 μg/L. The LOD and LOQ were 0.3 and 1.0 μg/L, respectively. Intra‐and inter‐day precisions were less than 2.0 and 2.3%, respectively. The real samples were successfully analyzed using the proposed method. The recoveries of spiked samples were more than 94.6%.     

An approach to analysis of primary amines by a combination of thin‐layer chromatography and matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry in conjunction with post‐chromatographic derivatization

On‐spot derivatization has been suggested for the modification of primary amine containing compounds for their analysis by thin‐layer chromatography hyphenated with matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry. The proposed approach was based on post‐chromatographic treatment of separated analytes inside the chromatographic zones on the thin‐layer chromatography plates by tris(2,6‐dimethoxyphenyl)methilium reagent. The derivatives, containing permanent positive charge, reveal exceptionally intense peaks of their cationic moieties and high signal/noise ratio in mass spectra recorded directly from the plates. The method was tested on a series of aliphatic, aromatic, and amine‐containing pharmaceuticals.     

Migration of non intentionally added substances from adhesives by UPLC–Q‐TOF/MS and the role of EVOH to avoid migration in multilayer packaging materials

Polyurethane adhesives are commonly used to laminate multilayer packaging materials for food. Since these materials are in direct contact with the food, compounds could migrate from adhesive into it. For this reason, it is important to identify all the potential migrants and verify their migration. Ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time‐of‐flight–mass spectrometry analyses and ChemSpider database are used to identify the potential migrants from polyurethane adhesives, and these techniques were demonstrated to be very powerful and useful tools for this purpose. Migration tests were carried out using Tenax® as food simulant. Nine out of fifteen non‐volatile compounds, identified in the cured adhesives, migrated. Most of them were identified as cyclic compounds, adipic based, which is the most commonly used monomer to make the polyester/polyol resins for polyurethane bi‐component adhesives. In this work, the use of EvOH layer in several multilayer materials to minimize or avoid migration was evaluated too. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous speciation of inorganic chromium(III) and chromium(VI) by hollow‐fiber‐based liquid‐phase microextraction coupled with HPLC–UV

The speciation of chromium(VI) and chromium(III) was investigated by using hollow fiber liquid‐phase microextraction based on two immiscible organic solvents followed by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. In this method, chromium(VI) and chromium(III) reacted with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate to produce hydrophobic complexes. Subsequently, the complexes were first extracted into a thin layer of organic solvent (n‐dodecane) present in the pores of a porous hollow fiber, and then into a μL volume of an organic acceptor (methanol) located inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. Then, the extracting organic phase was injected into the separation column of the high‐performance liquid chromatograph for the analysis of both chromium species. Effective parameters on extraction were optimized using one‐variable‐at‐a‐time method and central composite design. Under optimized conditions, a linear range of 0.25–100 and 0.5–100 μg/L (R ² > 0.998), the limits of detection of (S/N = 3) 0.08 and 0.1 μg/L and a preconcentration factor of 625 and 556 were achieved for chromium(VI) and chromium(III), respectively. The method was successfully applied to the speciation and determination of chromium species in different water samples and satisfactory results were obtained.     

Analysis of forchlorfenuron and thidiazuron in fruits and vegetables by surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy after selective solid‐phase extraction with modified β‐cyclodextrin

β‐Cyclodextrin and its derivatives can selectively bind to various organic molecules in its cavity and provide good applications in sample preparation. Surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy is a sensitive technique and has received increasing attention in the last decade. Herein, 3,5‐dimethyl phenyl carbamoylated β‐cyclodextrin bonded silica gel was used as a ssorbent in solid‐phase extraction to selectively enrich forchlorfenuron and thidiazuron followed by determination with surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy. It showed excellent selectivity for forchlorfenuron and thidiazuron and the adsorption capacities were 40.0 and 30.0 μg/g, respectively. A rapid and sensitive method based on the modified β‐cyclodextrin solid‐phase extraction coupled with surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy was developed. The linear ranges were 30.0–300.0 μg/L for forchlorfenuron and thidiazuron at 1005 and 640 cm^?1, respectively. Both of the limits of detection were 15.0 μg/L, which were significantly lower than the maximum permitted by the National Standard. The recoveries of forchlorfenuron and thidiazuron were 78.9–87.9% for the spiked grape, kiwi, cucumber and tomato, with relative standard deviations of 8.1–13.2%. The results show that this method is sensitive, selective, and relatively time saving, and has great potential in the analysis of trace amounts of plant growth regulators in fruits and vegetables.     

Quality evaluation of Guan‐Xin‐Ning injection based on fingerprint analysis and simultaneous separation and determination of seven bioactive constituents by capillary electrophoresis

The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive, rapid and practical capillary electrophoresis (CE) method for quality control (QC) of Guan‐Xin‐Ning (GXN) injection based on fingerprint analysis and simultaneous separation and determination of seven constituents. In fingerprint analysis, a capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method with a running buffer of 30 mM borate solution (pH 9.3) was established. Meanwhile, ten batches of samples were used to establish the fingerprint electropherogram and 34 common peaks were obtained within 20 min. The RSD of relative migration times (RMT) and relative peak areas (RPA) were less than 5%. In order to further evaluate the quality of GXN injection, a micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) method was developed for simultaneous separation and determination of bioactive constituents. Seven components reached baseline separation with a running buffer containing 35 mM SDS and 45 mM borate solution (pH 9.3). A good linearity was obtained with correlation coefficients from 0.9906 to 0.9997. The LOD and LOQ ranged from 0.12 to 1.50 μg/mL and from 0.40 to 4.90 μg/mL, respectively. The recoveries ranged between 99.0 and 104.4%. Therefore, it was concluded that the proposed method can be used for full‐scale quality analysis of GXN injection.     

Simultaneous extraction and quantification of albendazole and triclabendazole using vortex‐assisted hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography

A novel, simple, and rapid vortex‐assisted hollow‐fiber liquid‐phase microextraction method was developed for the simultaneous extraction of albendazole and triclabendazole from various matrices before their determination by high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Several factors influencing the microextraction efficiency including sample pH, nature and volume of extraction solvent, ionic strength, vortex time, and sample volume were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the limits of detection were 0.08 and 0.12 μg/L for albendazole and triclabendazole, respectively. The calibration curves were linear in the concentration ranges of 0.3–50.0 and 0.4–50.0 μg/L with the coefficients of determination of 0.9999 and 0.9995 for albendazole and triclabendazole, respectively. The interday and intraday relative standard deviations for albendazole and triclabendazole at three concentration levels (1.0, 10.0, and 30.0 μg/L) were in the range of 6.0–11.0 and 5.0–7.9%, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to determine albendazole and triclabendazole in water, milk, honey, and urine samples.     

Quantitative determination of seven chemical constituents and chemo‐type differentiation of chamomiles using high‐performance thin‐layer chromatography

A simple and rapid high‐performance thin‐layer chromatographic method was developed for the separation and determination of six flavonoids (rutin, luteolin‐7‐O‐β‐glucoside, chamaemeloside, apigenin‐7‐O‐β‐glucoside, luteolin, apigenin) and one coumarin, umbelliferone from chamomile plant samples and dietary supplements. The separation was achieved on amino silica stationary phase using dichloromethane/acetonitrile/ethyl formate/glacial acetic acid/formic acid (11:2.5:3:1.25:1.25 v/v/v/v/v) as the mobile phase. The quantitation of each compound was carried out using densitometric reflection/absorption mode at their respective absorbance maxima after postchromatographic derivatization using natural products reagent (1% w/v methanolic solution of diphenylboric acid‐β‐ethylamino ester). The method was validated for specificity, limits of detection and quantification, precision (intra‐ and interday) and accuracy. The limits of detection and quantification were found to be in the range from 6–18 and 16–55 ng/band for six flavonoids and one coumarin, respectively. The intra‐ and interday precision was found to be <5% RSD and recovery of all the compounds was >90%. The data acquired from high‐performance thin‐layer chromatography was processed by principal component analysis using XLSTAT statistical software. Application of principal component analysis and agglomerative hierarchial clustering was successfully able to differentiate two chamomiles (German and Roman) and Chrysanthemum.     

Development of a solid‐phase microextraction fiber by the chemical binding of graphene oxide on a silver‐coated stainless‐steel wire with an ionic liquid as the crosslinking agent

Graphene oxide was bonded onto a silver‐coated stainless‐steel wire using an ionic liquid as the crosslinking agent by a layer‐by‐layer strategy. The novel solid‐phase microextraction fiber was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and Raman microscopy. A multilayer graphene oxide layer was closely coated onto the supporting substrate. The thickness of the coating was about 4 μm. Coupled with gas chromatography, the fiber was evaluated using five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (fluorene, anthracene, fluoranthene, 1,2‐benzophenanthrene, and benzo(a)pyrene) as model analytes in direct‐immersion mode. The main conditions (extraction time, extraction temperature, ionic strength, and desorption time) were optimized by a factor‐by‐factor optimization. The as‐established method exhibited a wide linearity range (0.5–200 μg/L) and low limits of determination (0.05–0.10 μg/L). It was applied to analyze environmental water samples of rain and river water. Three kinds of the model analytes were quantified and the recoveries of samples spiked at 10 μg/L were in the range of 92.3–120 and 93.8–115%, respectively. The obtained results indicated the fiber was efficient for solid‐phase microextraction analysis.     

Simple thin layer chromatography–ultraviolet spectrophotometric method for quality assessment of binary fixed‐dose‐combinations of lamivudine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and lamivudine/zidovudine in tablet formulations

Antiretroviral fixed‐dose‐combination drugs are best assayed with high‐performance liquid chromatography, or liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. However, most scientists in developing nations have no access to these expensive instruments. A more affordable quantitative technique is the use of ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy—where often the absorption spectra of these antiretrovirals are overlapping; thus complex derivative methodologies are required for quantification. A simple, rapid, and accurate thin layer chromatography–ultraviolet spectrophotometric method for the quantification of binary mixtures of lamivudine, zidovudine, and tenofovir–disoproxil–fumarate in tablet formulations was developed. Lamivudine/tenofovir–disoproxil–fumarate and lamivudine/zidovudine were extracted and separated on glass thin‐layer chromatography plates. Drugs were identified in ultraviolet light at 254 nm and quantified in acidic medium using ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The retardation factors were 0.43, 0.79, and 0.81 for lamivudine, tenofovir–disoproxil–fumarate, and zidovudine, respectively, with corresponding absorption maxima at 270, 260, and 265 nm. Linearity ranged from 1 to 40 µg/mL for all drugs (R = 0.9998–0.9999), while recovery studies were 95.10–102.11% and amount in formulations ranged from 97.99 ± 0.63 to 101.47 ± 2.39%. The paired t‐test (n = 5) indicated no significant difference between the proposed and high‐performance liquid chromatography methods, hence comparable and can be used as an alternative method in routine quality determination of antiretroviral medicines.     

Simultaneous determination of 11 fluorescent whitening agents in food‐contact paper and board by ion‐pairing high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

4,4′‐Diaminostilbene‐2,2′‐disulfonic acid based fluorescent whitening agents (DSD‐FWAs) are prohibited in food‐contact paper and board in many countries. In this work, a reliable high‐performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 11 common DSD‐FWAs in paper material. Sample preparation and extraction as well as chromatographic separation of multicomponent DSD‐FWAs were successfully optimized. DSD‐FWAs in prepared samples were ultrasonically extracted with acetonitrile/water/triethylamine (40:60:1, v/v/v), separated on the C₁₈ column with the mobile phase containing tetrabutylammonium bromide, and then detected by a fluorescence detector. The limits of detection were 0.12–0.24 mg/kg, and the calibration curves showed the linear correlation (R² ≥ 0.9994) within the range of 8.0–100 ng/mL, which was equivalent to the range of 0.80–10 mg/kg in the sample. The average recoveries and the RSDs were 81–106% and 2–9% at two fortification levels (1.0 and 5.0 mg/kg) in paper bowls, respectively. The successful determination of 11 DSD‐FWAs in food‐contact paper and board obtained from local markets indicated that the newly developed method was rapid, accurate, and highly selective.     

On‐plate enzyme and inhibition assay of glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase using thin‐layer chromatography

We performed on‐plate enzyme and inhibition assays of glucose 6‐phosphate dehydrogenase using thin‐layer chromatography. The assays were accomplished based on different retardation factors of the substrates, enzyme, and products. All the necessary steps were integrated on‐plate in one developing process, including substrate/enzyme mixing, reaction starting, and quenching as well as product separation. In order to quantitatively measure the enzyme reaction, the developed plate was then densitometrically evaluated to determine the peak area of the product. Rapid and high‐throughput assays were achieved by loading different substrate spots and/or enzyme (and inhibition) spots in different tracks on the plate. The on‐plate enzyme assay could be finished in a developing time of only 4 min, with good track‐to‐track and plate‐to‐plate repeatability. Moreover, we determined the K_m values of the enzyme reaction and K_i values of the inhibition (Pb²⁺ Cd²⁺ and Cu²⁺ as inhibitors), as well as the corresponding kinetics using the on‐plate assay. Taken together, our method expanded the application of thin‐layer chromatography in enzyme assays, and it could be potentially used in research fields for rapid and quantitative measurement of enzyme activity and inhibition.     

Simultaneous determination of 22 phthalate esters in polystyrene food‐contact materials by ultra‐performance convergence chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A method for the determination of 22 phthalate esters in polystyrene food‐contact materials has been established using ultraperformance convergence chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. In this method, 22 phthalate esters were analyzed in <3.5 min on an ACQUITY Tours 1‐AA column by gradient elution. The mobile phase, the compensation solvent, the flow rate of mobile phase, column temperature, and automatic back pressure regulator pressure were optimized, respectively. There was a good linearity of 20 phthalate esters with a range of 0.05–10 mg/L, diisodecyl phthalate and diisononyl phthalate were 0.25–10 mg/L, and the correlation coefficients of all phthalates were higher than 0.99 and those of 16 phthalates were higher than 0.999. The limits of detection and the limits of quantification of 15 phthalates were 0.02 and 0.05 mg/kg, meanwhile diallyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, dimethyl phthalate, di‐n‐butyl phthalate, and di(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate were 0.05 and 0.10 mg/kg, and diisodecyl phthalate and diisononyl phthalate were 0.10 and 0.25 mg/kg. The spiked recoveries were in the range of 76.26–107.76%, and the relative standard deviations were in the range of 1.78–12.10%. Results support this method as an efficient alternative to apply for the simultaneous determination of 22 phthalate esters in common polystyrene food‐contact materials.     

A reversed‐phase compatible thin‐layer chromatography autography for the detection of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors

A dual readout autographic assay to detect acetylcholinesterase inhibitors present in complex matrices adsorbed on reversed‐phase or normal‐phase thin‐layer chromatography plates is described. Enzyme gel entrapment with an amphiphilic copolymer was used for assay development. The effects of substrate and enzyme concentrations, pH, incubation time, and incubation temperature on the sensitivity and the detection limit of the assay were evaluated. Experimental design and response surface methodology were used to optimize conditions with a minimum number of experiments. The assay allowed the detection of 0.01% w/w of physostigmine in both a spiked Sonchus oleraceus L. extract chromatographed on normal phase and a spiked Pimenta racemosa (Mill.) J.W. Moore leaf essential oil chromatographed on reversed phase. Finally, the reversed‐phase thin‐layer chromatography assay was applied to reveal the presence of an inhibitor in the Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf essential oil. The developed assay is able to detect acetylcholinesterase inhibitors present in complex matrixes that were chromatographed in normal phase or reversed‐phase thin‐layer chromatography. The detection limit for physostigmine on both normal and reversed phase was of 1×10^?4 μg. The results can be read by a change in color and/or a change in fluorescence.     

Octadecylsilane/Nylon‐6 composite as a thin‐film microextraction sorbent for the determination of bisphenol A in water samples

We report on the fabrication of a thin‐film composite for the extraction of bisphenol A from aqueous solutions. Nylon‐6, C₁₈ particles, and polyethylene glycol were used to prepare the thin film sorbent. Bisphenol A was used as a model compound to evaluate the extraction efficiency of the sorbent. High‐performance liquid chromatography with UV detection was used for the analysis. The extraction yield of the sorbent was compared with other thin films fabricated using different sorbents including nanoclay, LiChrolut EN, and multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Experimental parameters affecting the extraction performance (extraction time, desorption condition, sample stirring, and ionic strength of the sample solution) were investigated. The detection limit and the dynamic range of the method were 0.05 and 0.15–50 μg/L, respectively. The relative standard deviation of the method at two concentration levels (0.5 and 20 μg/L) was less than 7.2%. Finally, a polycarbonate baby bottle, river water, and wastewater samples were analyzed by the method.