Simple determination of betamethasone and chloramphenicol in a pharmaceutical preparation using a short monolithic column coupled to a sequential injection system

This contribution describes the use of a new separation method based on a reversed-phase sequential injection chromatography (SIC) technique for simultaneous determination of chloramphenicol and betamethasone in pharmaceutical eye drops. A short monolithic column coupled with a sequential injection analysis (SIA) system enabled separation of two compounds in one step. A Chromolith Flash RP-18e, 25 x 4.6 mm column with a 5 mm precolumn (Merck, Germany) and a FIA1ab 3000 system (USA) with a 6-port selection valve and 5 mL syringe were used for sequential injection chromatographic separations in this study. The mobile phase used was acetonitrile-water (30:80, v/v), flow rate 0.48 mL/min; UV detection was at two wavelengths, i.e., 241 and 278 nm (absorption maxima of betamethasone and chloramphenicol, respectively). The basic validation parameters showed good results: linearity of determination for both compounds including internal standard (propylparaben) >0.999; repeatability of determination (RSD) in the range 0.8-1.7% at two different concentration levels, and detection limits in the range 0.5-1.0 mg/mL. The chromatographic resolution between compound peaks was greater than 2.1 and the analysis time was less than 8 min under optimal conditions. The developed sequential injection chromatography method was compared with the HPLC method and was found to be applicable for routine analysis of active compounds in pharmaceutical preparations.     

Retention modelling in liquid chromatographic separation of simvastatin and six impurities using a microemulsion as eluent

A novel and unique approach was used for retention modelling in the separation of simvastatin and six impurities by liquid chromatographic using a microemulsion as mobile phase. A microemulsion is a modification of a micellar system where a lipophilic organic solvent is dissolved in the micelles; for that reason, microemulsions are usually treated as solvent-modified micellar solutions. When microemulsions are used as eluents in HPLC separations, solutes partition between the charged oil droplets and the aqueous buffer phase. The complexity of the composition of the microemulsion permits extensive manipulations to be made during method development in order to achieve acceptable resolution of such a complex mixture of substances. In order to avoid a laborious "trial and error" procedure, a 2(3) full factorial design was applied for choosing an optimal microemulsion composition to obtain good separation in a reasonable run time. Organic solvent, sodium dodecyl sulphate, and n-butanol content were varied within defined experimental domain. Optimal conditions for the separation of simvastatin and its six impurities were obtained using an X Terra 50 x 4.6 mm, 3.5 microm particle size column at 30 degrees C. The mobile phase consisted of 0.9% w/w of diisopropyl ether, 2.2% w/w of sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS), 7.0% w/w of co-surfactant such as n-butanol, and 89.9% w/w of aqueous 25 mM disodium phosphate pH 7.0.     

Protein separation by nonsynchronous coil planet centrifuge with aqueous-aqueous polymer phase systems

Counter-current chromatographic separation of proteins was performed using a rotary-seal-free nonsynchronous coil planet centrifuge (CPC) fabricated in our laboratory. This apparatus has a unique feature that allows a freely adjustable rotational rate of the coiled separation column at a given revolution speed. The separation was performed using a set of stable proteins including cytochrome c, myoglobin and lysozyme with two different types of aqueous-aqueous polymer phase systems, i.e., PEG (polyethylene glycol) 1000-dibasic potassium phosphate, and PEG 8000-dextran T500 in 5 mM potassium phosphate buffer. Using a set of multilayer coiled columns prepared from 0.8 mm I.D. PTFE tubing with different volumes (11, 24, 39 ml), the effect of the column capacity on the partition efficiency was investigated under a given set of experimental conditions. Among these experiments, the best separation of proteins was attained using the 39 ml capacity column with a 12.5% (w/w) PEG 1000-12.5% (w/w) dibasic potassium phosphate system at 10 rpm of coil rotation under 800 rpm. With lower phase mobile at 0.2 ml/min in the head-to-tail elution, the resolution between cytochrome c and myoglobin was 1.6 and that between myoglobin and lysozyme, 1.9. With upper phase mobile in the head-to-tail elution, the resolution between lysozyme and myoglobin peaks was 1.5. In these two separations, the stationary phase retention was 35.0 and 33.3%, respectively. Further studies were carried out using a pair of eccentric coil assemblies with 0.8 mm I.D. PTFE tubing at a total capacity of 20 ml. A comparable resolution was obtained using both lower and upper phases as a mobile phase in a head-to-tail elution. The results of our studies demonstrate that the nonsynchronous CPC is useful for protein separation with aqueous-aqueous polymer phase systems.     

Development and assessment of a miniaturised centrifugal chromatograph for reversed-phase separations in micro-channels

This paper describes the micro-fabrication and preliminary assessment of a miniature polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) device for performing rapid, parallel liquid phase chromatographic separations driven by centrifugal force in microchannels. Device components include a main separating channel, into which a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) particulate stationary phase was packed under pressure by application of centrifugal force, in addition to solvent and sample reservoirs. Also described are methods for sealing such devices based upon partial polymerisation of PDMS. The mobile phase flow rate through a typical device was measured and several important chromatographic parameters determined from a test separation. An expression describing mobile phase flow through packed channels was also developed, based upon work on liquid flow in open micro-channels. Good agreement between predicted and measured flow rates were observed. Some predictions for potential uses of such devices and possibilities for further miniaturisation are discussed.     

Simultaneous separation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic peptides with a silica hydride stationary phase using aqueous normal phase conditions

The application of a silica hydride modified stationary phase with low organic loading has been investigated as a new type of chromatographic material suitable for the separation and analysis of peptides with electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection. Retention maps were established to delineate the chromatographic characteristics of a series of peptides with physical properties ranging from strongly hydrophobic to very hydrophilic and encompassing a broad range of pI values (pI 5.5-9.4). The effects of low concentrations of two additives (formic acid and acetic acid) in the mobile phase were also investigated with respect to their contribution to separation selectivity and retention under comparable conditions. Significantly, strong retention of both the hydrophobic and the hydrophilic peptides was observed when high-organic low-aqueous mobile phases were employed, thus providing a new avenue to achieve high resolution peptide separations. For example, simultaneous separation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic peptides was achieved under aqueous normal phase (ANP) chromatographic conditions with linear gradient elution procedures in a single run, whilst further gradient optimization enabled improved peak efficiencies of the more strongly retained hydrophobic and hydrophilic peptides.     

Operational variables in high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of peptides and proteins using poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) monoliths

Capillary reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) utilizing monolithic poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) columns was optimized for the coupling to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) by the application of various temperatures and mobile phase additives during peptide and protein analysis. Peak widths at half height improved significantly upon increasing the temperature and ranged from 2.0 to 5.4 s for peptide and protein separations at 70 degrees. Selectivity of peptide elution was significantly modulated by temperature, whereas the effect on proteins was only minor. A comparison of 0.10% formic acid (FA), 0.050% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), and 0.050% heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA) as mobile phase additives revealed that highest chromatographic efficiency but poorest mass spectrometric detectabilities were achieved with HFBA. Clusters of HFBA, water, and acetonitrile were observed in the mass spectra at m/z values >500. Although the signal-to-noise ratios for the individual peptides diverged considerably both in the selected ion chromatograms and extracted mass spectra, the average mass spectrometric detectabilities varied only by a factor of less than 1.7 measured with the different additives. Limits of detection for peptides with 500 nl sample volumes injected onto a 60 mm x 0.20 mm monolithic column were in the 0.2-13 fmol range. In the analysis of hydrophobic membrane proteins, HFBA enabled highest separation selectivity at the cost of lower mass spectral quality. The use of 0.050% TFA as mobile phase additive turned out to be the best compromise between chromatographic and mass spectrometric performance in the analysis of peptides and proteins by RP-HPLC-ESI-MS using monolithic separation columns.     

以离子液体为流动相添加剂高效液相色谱法分离钩藤药材中的钩藤碱和异钩藤碱

以常用流动相添加剂三乙胺作为对照,建立了以离子液体为流动相添加剂,分离钩藤药材中钩藤碱和异钩藤碱的高效液相色谱方法。以分离度及相关色谱参数为指标,选择了离子液体中咪唑阳离子烷基链长度及阴离子的种类。并分别考察了咪唑阳离子烷基链长度、离子液体浓度、流动相pH值和流动相比例对钩藤碱和异钩藤碱分离的影响,初步探讨了离子液体的分离机理。结果显示,咪唑阳离子的烷基链越长,阴离子的离子液体序列越高,分离效果越好,即[HMIM][BF_4]为最优的流动相添加剂。当[HMIM][BF_4]浓度为16 mmol/L,流动相pH值为3.0,甲醇比例为37%时,钩藤碱和异钩藤碱能够实现基线分离,满足样品分离测定的需求。     

咪唑键合硅胶固定相微柱液相色谱分离酚类和胺类化合物

由于微柱液相色谱(μ-LC)具有高检测灵敏度、低溶剂消耗、可以与质谱等多种检测器联用的优点,近年来受到广泛关注。将咪唑键合硅胶固定相填充到毛细管中,在自制的微柱液相色谱系统下利用此键合相具有的弱疏水作用,采用不同的流动相对酚类和胺类化合物进行了分离。结果表明,流动相中只需添加少量的有机溶剂就可以实现对一些有机化合物的分离,甚至可以只用纯水作流动相就能分离一些弱疏水性化合物,如酚类。微柱液相色谱的流动相用量少,避免或大大减少了对环境的污染。自制微柱液相色谱系统为下一步微柱液相色谱-质谱联用奠定了一定的基础。     

Microfluidic Pressure Driven Liquid Chromatography of Biologically Relevant Samples

An overview of the literature regarding the most recent and innovative developments in microfluidic devices for pressure-driven chromatographic separations is given, with a focus on proteomics and metabolomics applications. The applications can be considered as the main driving force for the developments in this research field, since they put high demands on the analytical technology such as for throughput, efficiency, and sensitivity and for the possibilities to interface with mass spectrometry. The developments are evaluated based on the feasibility for use in work flows for the analysis of biologically relevant samples. The literature up to the first half of 2011 is covered. Electrophoretic separations are not within the scope of this review. Several strategies have been described to obtain a retentive phase in microfluidic channels. Open channels with the stationary phase bound to the walls appear to be relatively easy to make. However, the retention in such channels is generally very low for separations of relevant samples. Microfabrication of perfectly ordered topographic structures is the most innovative of the methods discussed for the creation of stationary phases in narrow channels. Several groups work on the improvement of the surface-to-volume ratio in such channels, using different methods, and the developments towards real applications are promising. Channels packed with spherical particles and in situ polymerized monoliths for pressure-driven separations are the most frequently applied. Microfluidic devices with an integrated injection system, a (packed) separation column and a spray tip for coupling to a mass spectrometer are already commercially available, and used in practice in proteomics and metabolomics. Finally, the inherent advantages of microfluidic devices for multidimensional separations have been shown in practice in a number of studies. In these studies, pressure-driven chromatography is coupled (in series or multiplexed) to an electrophoretic separation method. The high peak capacity of such 2-dimensional separations has been shown.

     

Reversed-phase porous silica rods, an alternative approach to high-performance liquid chromatographic separation using the sequential injection chromatography technique

A commercially available porous silica rod column was used as a separation tool for the sequential injection analysis (SIA). A porous solid monolithic column showed high performance at a low pressure, allowing sequential injection analysis to be used for the first time for separation in HPLC fashion. In this contribution, we tried to demonstrate a new separation concept with SIA manifold for the simultaneous determination of four different compounds (methylparaben (MP), propylparaben (PP), triamcinolone acetonide (TCA) and internal standard ketoprofen (KP)) in a pharmaceutical triamcinolon cream 0.1% formulation. A Chromolith Flash RP-18e, 25 mm x 4.6 mm column with a 10 mm pre-column (Merck, Germany) and a FIAlab 3000 system (USA) with an 8-port selection valve and 10 ml syringe were used for sequential injection chromatographic separations in our study. The mobile phase used was acetonitrile-methanol-water (35:5:65, v/v/v) + 0.05% nonylamine, pH 2.5, flow rate 0.6 ml min(-1). The analysis time was <6 min. A novel sequential injection chromatography (SIC) technique with UV spectrophotometric detection was optimised and validated.     

Application of an electrochemical detector to the determination of procarbazine hydrochloride by high-performace liquid chromtography

An amperometric flow-through detector with a carbon paste working electrode was utilized as a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) detector to determine procarbazine hydrochloride, an antineoplastic agent, in both buffer solution and biological fluids. The HPLC system included an amino-cyano stationary phase and an aqueous (pH 7)-methanolic mobile phase which enabled the separation of procarbazine from its only electroactive degradation product, N-isoprophyl-a- (2-methylhydrazono)-p-toluamide. The electrochemical detector, with an approximate limit of detection of 2 ng procarbazine injected, was 20 times more sensitive to procarbazine than a typical UV detector. The low dead volume (I μl) and superior selectivity of the electrochemical detector enabled the HPLC determination of procarbazine in untreated human urine and plasma.     

Optimization of micellar liquid chromatographic separation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with the addition of second organic additive

The micellar liquid chromatographic (MLC) separations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were optimized for three micellar systems, cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC), and sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), with 1-pentanol as the only organic additive. A difference in the separation was observed between CTAC and SDS/DTAC. Under each optimized separation conditions, CTAC-modified mobile phase provides the least desirable separation, which is attributed to its longer carbon tail (C16 vs. C12). In addition to 1-pentanol, the main organic additive, a second organic additive (3% 1-propanol) in the micelle-modified mobile phase was found to enhance the resolution of PAH chromatographic peaks. However, the extent of the enhancement varies for the different micellar systems, with the greatest resolution improvement seen for CTAC, and little effect for shorter-tail SDS and DTAC. This study shows the potential use of second organic additive (1-propanol), to the main nonpolar additive (1-pentanol), in facilitating the MLC separation of larger nonpolar compounds.     

Optimization of solvent selectivity for the chromatographic separation of fat-soluble vitamins using a mixture-design statistical technique

Summary A systematic approach, using a mixture-design statistical technique, has been developed for selecting the optimum mobile phase for the separation of fat-soluble vitamins in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. A quaternary mixture of methanol, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran and water was used as mobile phase. Retention time and peak width were recorded in ten runs augmented with five replicates and the data were subsequently fitted to special cubic polynomial models. The resulting mathematical equations enabled prediction of resolution over the entire parameter space. Contour plots of minimum effective resolution and maximum retention time as a function of mobile phase composition are presented and discussed. Visual inspection of these plots provides an overview of the quality of the separation and the analysis time required for each possible mobile-phase composition with n the parameter space. It is demonstrated that the methodology followed was an important tool which enabled the taking of informed decisions necessary for selection of the optimum mobile phase for a chromatographic separation. A combination ofR _S minimum andt _R maximum as optimization criteria in a multicriteria decision-making plot using pareto-optimality concept is discussed. This combination enabled visual demonstration of the compromise between separation quality and the economics of analysis time. Our methodology has been compared with the common used technique of ‘overlapping resolution mapping’.     

Electrochemical Detection Using an Engraved Microchip – Capillary Electrophoresis Platform

The present study describes a simple strategy to integrate electrochemical detection with an assembled microchip‐capillary electrophoresis platform. The electrochemical cell was integrated with a microfluidic device consisting of five plastic squares interconnected with fused silica capillaries, forming a four‐way injection cross between the separation channel and three side‐arms (each of 15 mm in length) acting as buffer/sample reservoirs. The performance of the system was evaluated using electrodes made with either carbon ink, carbon nanotubes, or gold and under different experimental conditions of pH, capillary length, and injection time. Using this system it was possible to separate the neurotransmitters dopamine and cathecol and to quantify phenol from a real sample using a linear calibration curve with a calculated LOD of 0.7 µM. A similar concept was applied to determine glucose, by including a pre‐reactor filled with beads modified with glucose oxidase (GOx). The latter system was used to determine glucose in a commercial sample, with a recovery of 95.2 %. Overall, the presented approach represents a simple, inexpensive, and versatile approach to integrate electrochemical detection with CE separations without requiring access to microfabrication facilities.     

Capillary Electrochromatography as a Method Development Tool for the Liquid Chromatographic Separation of DUP 654 and Related Substances

Capillary Electrochromatography (CEC) offers a rapid, economical, and efficient means for resolving nonionic compounds in the reversed phase mode on octadecylsilane (ODS) columns. A CEC optimization on a Hypersil ODS capillary column was employed to identify a suitable mobile phase for the pressure-driven (reversed phase ODS) separation of the anti-inflammatory 2-phenylmethyl-1-naphthol (DUP 654), and its related substances. The proportions of mobile phase modifiers methanol, acetonitrile, and water as well as pH were employed as variables in a stacked mixture design. Comparable response surface profiles were obtained for the CEC separations at pH 4 and pH 8. However, subtle differences were evident in the quality of separations obtained in the liquid chromatographic (LC) mode when using a specially-prepared column packed with exactly the same stationary phase as used in the CEC experiments. A mapping of the response surface for separations on a commercially available Hypersil ODS LC column revealed obvious differences. The differences indicate that the transfer of ODS based separation methods between CEC and LC involves more than simply transferring the conditions from one mode to the other.     

Bonded stationary phases for reversed phase liquid chromatography with a water mobile phase: application to subcritical water extraction

Reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) is demonstrated for hydrophobic analytes such as aromatic hydrocarbons on a chemically bonded stationary phase and a mobile phase consisting of only water. Reversed phase liquid chromatography separations using a water-only mobile phase has been termed WRP-LC for water-only reversed phase LC. Reasonable capacity factors are achieved through the use of a non-porous silica substrate resulting in a chromatographic phase volume ratio much lower than usually found in RP-HPLC. Two types of bonded WRP-LC columns have been developed and applied. A brush phase was synthesized from an organochlorosilane. The other phase, synthesized from an organodichlorosilane, is termed a branch phase and results in a polymeric structure of greater thickness than the brush phase. A baseline separation of a mixture containing benzaldehyde, benzene, toluene, and ethyl benzene in less than 5 min is demonstrated using a water mobile phase with 12 000 plates generated for the unretained benzaldehyde peak. The theoretically predicted minimum reduced plate height is also shown to be approached for the unretained analyte using the brush phase. As an application, subcritical water extraction (SWE) at 200°C is combined with WRP-LC. This combination allows for the extraction of organic compounds from solid matrices immediately followed by liquid chromatographic separation of those extracted compounds all using a solvent of 100% water. We demonstrate SWE/WRP-LC by spiking benzene, ethyl benzene, and naphthalene onto sand then extracting the analytes with SWE followed by chromatographic separation on a WRP column. A sand sample contaminated with gasoline was also analyzed using SWE/WRP-LC. This extraction process also provides kinetic information about the rate of analyte extraction from the sand matrix. Under the conditions employed, analytes were extracted at different rates, providing additional selectivity in addition to the WRP-LC separation.     

万古霉素键合固定相的分离性能

万古霉素作为一种大环抗生素,具有复杂的分子结构。在充分考虑万古霉素分子结构特征的情况下,采用戊二醛间隔臂法制备了万古霉素键合固定相,在反相、亲水、离子交换等分离模式下研究了其色谱分离性能。结果表明,当流动相中有机调节剂含量较低时,该色谱柱表现出典型的反相色谱分离模式特征;随着有机调节剂含量的增加,逐渐转变成亲水模式,分离特性发生明显改变。由于万古霉素分子结构中含有可以解离的氨基,因此该固定相也能够用于阴离子交换模式下的分析方法的发展。分别在反相、亲水和阴离子交换模式下,将其应用于扑尔敏等多种非对映体药物和新型甜味剂甜菊糖的高效液相色谱分离;仅通过改变分离条件,即可在3种不同分离模式下完成分离。这些结果可以为新型色谱固定相的设计,以及发展采用特殊结构改性基团的色谱固定相在相应分离模式下的分析方法提供指导。     

Comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography — practical impacts of theoretical considerations. A review

A theory of comprehensive two-dimensional separations by liquid chromatographic techniques is overviewed. It includes heart-cutting and comprehensive two-dimensional separation modes, with attention to basic concepts of two-dimensional separations: resolution, peak capacity, efficiency, orthogonality and selectivity. Particular attention is paid to the effects of sample structure on the retention and advantages of a multi-dimensional HPLC for separation of complex samples according to structural correlations. Optimization of 2D separation systems, including correct selection of columns, flow-rate, fraction volumes and mobile phase, is discussed. Benefits of simultaneous programmed elution in both dimensions of LCxLC comprehensive separations are shown.     

Retention of β blockers on native titania stationary phase

In recent years, metal oxides such as titania have been commercially available as chromatographic beds that can potentially be used to achieve novel separations of polar compounds. For example β blockers, which are more often encountered in environmental sciences, have a wide range of polarity, and their basic character leads to difficult sample treatment and separation on conventional silica‐based sorbents. The contribution of titania to the selective analysis of nine β blockers was evaluated in terms of retention mechanisms observed in hydrophilic interaction LC using acetonitrile/water mobile phases with various additives. The mobile phase additives enabled to control the β blocker charge as well as the titania surface charge. Depending on their respective ionic state, various retention mechanisms were identified at low water contents (<40%), including mainly adsorption mixed with hydrophilic interaction LC partition, ion exchange and ion exclusion. An unexpected retention was also observed for high water content and high pH, changing the selectivity of the support.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic separation of subcomponents of antimycin A

Using a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) technique, a mixture of antimycins A was separated into eight hitherto unreported subcomponents, A1a, A1b, A2a, A2b, A3a, A3b, A4a, and A4b. Although a base-line resolution of the known four major antimycins A1, A2, A3, and A4 was readily achieved with mobile phases containing acetate buffers, the separation of the new antibiotic subcomponents was highly sensitive to variation in mobile phase conditions. The type and composition of organic modifers, the nature of buffer salts, and the concentration of added electrolytes had profound effects on capacity factors, separation factors, and peak resolution values. Of the numerous chromatographic systems examined, a mobile phase consisting of methanol-water (70:30) and 0.005 M tetrabutylammonium phosphate at pH 3.0 yielded the most satisfactory results for the separation of the subcomponents. Reversed-phase gradient HPLC separation of the dansylated or methylated antibiotic compounds produced superior chromatographic characteristics and the presence of added electrolytes was not a critical factor for achieving separation. Differences in the chromatographic outcome between homologous and structural isomers were interpreted based on a differential solvophobic interaction rationale. Preparative reversed-phase HPLC under optimal conditions enabled isolation of pure samples of the methylated antimycin subcomponents for use in structural studies.