Preconcentration and dansylation of aliphatic amines using C18 solid-phase packings. Application to the screening analysis in environmental water samples

Precolumn preconcentration and derivatization on solid sorbents (Bond Elut C18 solid-phase extraction cartridges) of low-molecular-mass aliphatic amines in water samples have been performed using dansyl chloride (Dns-Cl) as derivatization reagent. Conditions for analyte preconcentration and derivatization such as volume sample, reagent concentration, time, pH and temperature reaction were optimised. On the basis of these studies a rapid and sensitive method for screening of aliphatic amines in waters is presented. Up to volumes of 5 ml, samples are drawn through the sorbent, the analytes retained are dansylated at basic pH, at 100 degrees C for 10 min or 85 degrees C for 15 min. The derivatized analytes are desorbed with 0.5 ml of acetonitrile. Twenty microl of the collected extracts are chromatographed in a Hypersyl ODS C18 column using an acetonitrile-imidazole (pH 7) gradient for elution. Seven amines and ammonium were separated within 9 min. The Dns derivatives were monitored at 333 nm with UV detection and at lambda(excitation) = 350 nm and lambda(emission) = 530 nm with fluorescence detection. The different signals are compared. Dynamic ranges from 10 to 250 microg/l and limits of detection at the microgram-per-litre level and relative standard deviations from 2 to 15% were obtained for all the amines. The total analysis time (sample treatment plus chromatography) was less than 25 min. The method was applied to determination and screening analysis of these analytes in real environmental water samples.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of aliphatic amines in water using solid support assisted derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate

Summary A simple and sensitive method has been developed for the liquid chromatographic determination of short-chain aliphatic amines in water. Analytes are retained in solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges, and then derivatized by drawing an aliquot of the fluorogeneic reagent 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC) through the cartridges. After a certain reaction time the derivatives formed are desorbed with acetonitrile. The collected extracts are then chromatographed on a LiChrospher 100 RP₁₈ 125 mm×4 mm i.d., 5 μm, column using an acetonitrile-water gradient. The influence of experimental conditions (SPE material, volume of sample, concentration of FMOC, time of reaction and pH) has been investigated. Optimal results have been obtained with C₁₈ SPE cartridges using a sample volume of 5.0 mL. For derivatization, 0.25 mL aliquots of 25 mM FMOC have been used, the reaction time being only 2 min. The method has been applied to the quantification of several aliphatic amines: methylamine, ethylamine, dimethylamine,n-butylamine,n-pentylamine andn-hexylamine. Under the proposed conditions the percentages of analytes retained plus derivatized were of about 54–107% compared to those obtained with direct solution derivatization. The method provided good reproducibility, linearity and accuracy within the 0.050–1.0 mg L⁻¹ concentration range. The limits of detection were in the 0.25–5.0 μg L⁻¹ range. The utility of the described approach has been tested by analysing tap water, river water and industrial waste water.     

Sensitive determination of aliphatic amines in water by high-performance liquid chromatography with chemiluminescence detection

A sensitive method has been developed for liquid chromatographic determination of short aliphatic amines in water samples. Analytes are preconcentrated and dansylated on solid sorbents (C18 solid-phase extraction cartridges). The dansyl derivatives are chromatographed and post-column mixed with peroxyoxalate (TCPO) and H2O2 in order to perform chemiluminescence detection. Optimal results have been obtained using a sample volume of 5 ml. The method has been applied to the quantification or screening of several aliphatic amines: methylamine, ethylamine, butylamine, diethylamine, pentylamine and hexylamine. The screening procedure has been developed including also polyamines (putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine and spermine). The results obtained by using chemiluminescence (CL) detection have been compared with other detection systems (fluorescence and UV). The sensitivity can increase from 3 to 75 times respect UV detection and from 2 to 10 times respect fluorescence detection depending on the amine. The detection limits achieved were between 0.15 and 0.9 microg/l.     

A microanalytical method for ammonium and short-chain primary aliphatic amines using precolumn derivatization and capillary liquid chromatography

A new microscale method is presented for the determination of ammonium and primary short-chain aliphatic amines (methylamine, ethylamine, propylamine, n-butylamine and n-pentylamine) in water. The assay uses precolumn derivatization with the reagent o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) in combination with the thiol N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), and capillary liquid chromatography with UV detection at 330 nm. The described method is very simple and rapid as no preconcentration of the analytes is necessary, and the volume of sample required is only 0.1 mL. Under the proposed conditions good linearity has been obtained up to a concentration of the analytes of 10.0 mgL(-1), the limits of detection being of 8-50 microgL(-1). No matrix effect was found, and recoveries between 97 and 110% were obtained. The precision of the method was good, and the achieved variation coefficients were below 12%. The reliability of the proposed approach has been tested by analyzing a microsample of fogwater collected from leaf surfaces.     

Optimization of simultaneous derivatization and extraction of aliphatic amines in water samples with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction followed by HPLC

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic droplet (DLLME-SFO) with simultaneous derivatization followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) was applied for preconcentration and determination of primary and secondary aliphatic amines in environmental water samples. A ternary mixture consisting of a disperser, an extractant and a derivatization reagent was used for the simultaneous derivatization and extraction of aliphatic amines in different water samples. The effects of various experimental parameters on derivatization and extraction efficiency were studied simultaneously using experimental design. A Plackett-Burman design was performed for screening of variables in order to determine the significant variables affecting the extraction efficiency. Then, the significant factors were optimized by using a Box-Behnken design (BBD) and the response surface equations were derived. Under optimal conditions, the preconcentration factors were between 210 and 290. The limit of detections (LODs) ranged from 0.005 to 0.02 μg/L and dynamic linear ranges (DLRs) of 0.05-500 and 0.1-500 μg/L were obtained for most of analytes. The performance of the method was evaluated for extraction and determination of primary and secondary aliphatic amines in environmental water samples in micrograms per liter and satisfactory results were obtained (RSDs <12.5%).     

Determination of primary and secondary aliphatic amines with high performance liquid chromatography based on the derivatization using 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-(N-hydroxysuccinimidyl butyric ester)-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene

In this article, the simultaneous determination of primary and secondary aliphatic amines including dimethylamine (DMA), diethylamine and eleven primary aliphatic amines by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection has been achieved using a BODIPY-based fluorescent derivatization reagent, 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-(N-hydroxysuccinimidyl butyric ester)-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene (TMBB-Su). The derivatization reaction of TMBB-Su with aliphatic amines was optimized with orthogonal design experiment and the derivatization reaction proceeded at 15 °C for 25 min. The baseline separation of these derivatives was carried out on a C₈ column with methanol-tetrahydrofuran-50 mM pH 6.50 HAc-NaAc buffer (55/5/40, v/v/v) as a mobile phase. Detected at the excitation and emission of 490 and 510 nm, respectively, the detection limits were obtained in the range of 0.01-0.04 nM (signal-to-noise ratio = 3). The proposed method has been applied to the determination of trace aliphatic amines in viscera samples from mice without complex pretreatment or enrichment method. The recoveries ranged from 95.1% to 106.8%, depending on the samples investigated.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of trimethylamine in water

A method for the selective determination of trimethylamine (TMA) in aqueous matrices by liquid chromatography is reported. The proposed procedure is based on the derivatization of the analyte with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC) in a precolumn (Hypersil C18, 30 microm, 20 mm x 2.1 mm i.d.) connected on-line to the analytical column (LiChrosphere 100 RP18, 5 microm, 125 mm x 4 mm i.d.). Gradient elution was performed with a mixture of acetonitrile-water-0.05 M borate buffer (pH 9.0). The method has been applied to the direct determination of TMA in water within the 0.25-10.0 microg/ml concentration interval, and can also be adapted to the determination of TMA over the range 0.05-1.0 microg/ml by incorporating a preconcentration stage with C18 solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges. Good linearity, reproducibility and accuracy was achieved within the tested concentration intervals. The limits of detection at 262 nm were 50 and 5 ng/ml for the direct method and for the method involving preconcentration, respectively. The proposed conditions allowed the selective determination of TMA in the presence of other primary and secondary short-chain aliphatic amines. The utility of the described procedure has been tested by determining TMA in different water samples.     

Determination of volatile aliphatic amines in air by solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography with flame ionization detection

Practical aspects of the application of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) to the determination of volatile aliphatic amines in air are described. Analytes included methylamine (MA), ethylamine (EA), dimethylamine (DMA), diethylamine (DEA), trimethylamine (TMA) and triethylamine (TEA). New SPME stationary phases were examined. The effects of relative humidity and temperature on analytes uptake were taken into account in analysis. Gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detector (FID) was used for the final analysis.     

A new ultra-pressure liquid chromatography method for the determination of biogenic amines in cheese

A fast and reliable ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC™) method for the determination of biogenic amines (ethanolamine, methylamine, agmatine, histamine, dimethylamine, ethylamine, octopamine, pyrrolidine, dopamine, isopropylamine, propylamine, tyramine, putrescine, butylamine, cadaverine, tryptamine, 2-phenylethylamine, 3-methylbutylamine, spermidine, spermine) in cheese was established. After pre-column derivatization with 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxy-succinimidyl carbamate (AQC), 20 primary and secondary biogenic amines were separated on an Acquity™ UPLC™ column (BEH C₁₈, 1.7 μm; 2.1 mm × 50 mm) within 9 min. Limits of detection (mg/100 g cheese) ranged from 0.04 (ethanolamine) to 1.62 (spermine), and limits of quantification were between 0.16 (ethanolamine) and 6.09 (spermine). The UPLC™ method was applied to the analysis of 58 cheese samples as retailed in Austria. About 13.8% of samples had a histamine content above 10 mg/100 g, and 22.4% had a tyramine content above 10 mg/100 g. Moreover, 8.6% of samples had a putrescine or cadaverine content higher than 10 mg/100 g. The total concentration of biogenic amines in two cheese samples was about 194 mg/100 g. Thus, obligatory monitoring of biogenic amines should be considered to ensure quality of cheese in future.     

Determination of aliphatic amines using N-succinimidyl benzoate as a new derivatization reagent in gas chromatography combined with solid-phase microextraction

A simple, selective and sensitive approach was developed for the quantitation of aliphatic amines in lake water applying a new reagent (N-succinimidyl benzoate, SIBA), synthesized in the laboratory of the authors. Derivatization of the n-C1-C6 aliphatic monoamines and dimethylamine in aqueous solution with SIBA was followed by headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME). Derivatives were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and determined by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection. Both derivatization and SPME conditions have been optimized. Derivatizations were performed in borate buffer (pH 8.8), at 60 degrees C for 22 min. SPME was carried out from saturated sodium chloride solution, at 80 degrees C for 60 min, desorption at 250 degrees C for 2 min. Detection limit of derivatized amines proved to be 0.13-7.2 nmol/l, while recovery of amines from lake water samples, in the concentration range of 100-200 microg/l, varied from 94.1 to 102.7%.     

脂肪胺的高效液相色谱分离及质谱鉴定

 采用新型荧光试剂1,2-苯并-3,4-二氢咔唑-9-乙酸(BCAA)为柱前衍生化试剂,在Hypersil BDS-C18色谱柱上,通过梯度洗脱对12种游离脂肪胺进行了分离和在线质谱定性。以乙腈为溶剂,1-乙基-3-(3-二甲氨基丙基)环己碳二亚胺(EDAC)为缩合剂,在50 ℃条件下衍生反应15 min后获得稳定的荧光产物。激发波长和发射波长分别为333 nm和390 nm。采用大气压化学电离源(APCI)的正离子模式,实现了土壤和污水中脂肪胺的定性及其含量的测定。脂肪胺的线性相关系数大于0.9993,检测限为12~28 fmol。     

6-Oxy-(N-succinimidyl acetate)-9-(2'-methoxycarbonyl)fluorescein as a new fluorescent labeling reagent for aliphatic amines in environmental and food samples using high-performance liquid chromatography

6-Oxy-(N-succinimidyl acetate)-9-(2'-methoxycarbonyl)fluorescein (SAMF), a new fluorescein-based amine-reactive fluorescent probe was well designed, synthesized and used as a pre-column derivatizing reagent for the determination of aliphatic amines in HPLC. It exhibited relatively pH-independent fluorescence (pH 4-9) and excellent photostability. The derivatization was performed at room temperature in 6min. On a C18 column, the derivatives of SAMF with eight aliphatic amines were baseline separated in 28 min with a mobile phase of methanol-water (57:43, v/v) containing 10 mmol l(-1) pH 5.0, H3Cit3-NaOH buffer. With fluorescent detection at lambda(ex)/lambda(em) = 484/516 nm, the detection limit could reach 2-320 fmol (signal-to-noise = 3), which was equivalent to or better than the detection limits obtained from other analytical methods of aliphatic amines. The proposed method has been applied to the determination of the aliphatic amines in environmental and food samples such as lake water, red wine, white wine, and cheese with satisfying recoveries varying from 95 to 106%.     

Precolumn derivatization with glyoxal as a new approach to the highly sensitive HPLC-UV determination of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine

A procedure has been developed for the determination of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) based on precolumn derivatization with glyoxal and determination of the produced derivative, mono-1,1-dimethylhydrazone of glyoxal, by reversed-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) with UV detection at 305 nm. It has been demonstrated that the reaction of UDMH with an excess of glyoxal in solution quantitatively yields one stable product within 20 min at 25°C at pH 3.5. To increase the sensitivity of UDMH determination it has been proposed to perform solid-phase extraction preconcentration of the derivative from a 25-mL sample portion on cartridges containing Strata SDB-L polymer adsorbent. The analytical range of UDMH determination in water is 0.5–10000 μg/L or 0.01–20 μg/L using preconcentration. The relative standard deviations of UDMH determination (n = 3) do not exceed 0.12 and 0.25 without and with preconcentration, respectively. The accuracy of UDMH determination is confirmed by the analysis of spiked samples and by RP-HPLC determination with preliminary derivatization with 4-nitrobenzaldehyde as independent method.     

Simultaneous derivatization and air-assisted liquid–liquid microextraction of some aliphatic amines in different aqueous samples followed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection

The paper presents a new method based on simultaneous derivatization and air-assisted liquid–liquid microextraction (AALLME) for the extraction and preconcentration of some aliphatic amines prior to gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID). Primary aliphatic amines are derivatized and extracted simultaneously by a fast reaction with butylchloroformate (derivatization agent/extraction solvent) under mild conditions. The mixture of butylchloroformate and aqueous sample solution is rapidly sucked into a 10-mL glass syringe and then is injected into a test tube with conical bottom and the procedure is repeated seven times. After centrifuging the resulted cloudy solution, the derivatized analytes in the sedimented phase are determined by GC-FID. The influence of main factors on the efficiency of derivatization/extraction procedure is studied. Under the optimal conditions, the enrichment factors (EFs) for aliphatic amines are obtained in the range of 248–360 and limits of detection (LODs) are between 0.30 and 2.6 μg L⁻¹. The obtained extraction recoveries ranged from 50 to 72% and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was less than 4.8% for intra-day (n = 6) and inter-days (n = 4) precision. The method is successfully applied to determine some aliphatic amines in environmental water samples.     

Determination of biogenic amines as dansyl derivatives in alcoholic beverages by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection and characterization of the dansylated amines by liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of 11 biogenic amines has been developed. The method involves addition of an internal standard (1,7-diaminoheptane), pre-column dansylation of the amines and subsequent solid-phase extraction of the derivatives through C18 cartridges. The dansylamides were separated on an Inertsil ODS-3 column (250 x 4 mm I.D., 5 microm) using a 35-min gradient elution with a binary system of acetonitrile-water, a flow-rate of 1 ml min(-1) and fluorescence detection at excitation and emission wavelengths of 320 and 523 nm, respectively. The identity of the dansyl derivatives was confirmed by liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry. Linearity of derivatization was obtained for concentrations ranging from 0.008 to 40.0 mg l(-1). The within- and between-day relative standard deviations ranged from 0.2 to 7.6% and 0.3 to 8.6%, respectively. The overall process was successfully applied to identify and quantify biogenic amines in white-, red- and Retsina Greek wines and Greek beers, after treatment with polyvinylpyrrolidone.     

Improved coupled-column liquid chromatographic method for the determination of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid residues in environmental waters

An existing method for the determination of glyphosate and its main metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in water has been improved. It is based on precolumn derivatization with the fluorescent reagent 9-fluorenylmethylcloroformate (FMOC) followed by large-volume injection in a coupled-column LC system using fluorescence detection (LC-LC-FD). The derivatization step was slightly modified by changing parameters such as volume and/or concentration of sample and reagents to decrease the limits of quantification (LOQ) of glyphosate and AMPA to 0.1 microg/l. Additionally, the use of Amberlite IRA-900 for preconcentration of glyphosate, prior to the derivatization step, was investigated; the LOQ of glyphosate was lowered to 0.02 microg/l. Drinking, surface and ground water spiked with glyphosate and AMPA at 0.1-10 microg/l concentrations were analysed by the improved LC-LC-FD method. Recoveries were 87-106% with relative standard deviations lower than 8%. Drinking and ground water spiked with glyphosate at 0.02 and 0.1 microg/l were analysed after preconcentration on the anion-exchange resin with satisfactory recoveries (94-105%) and precision (better than 8%).     

Detector supports: application to aliphatic amines in wastewater

Solid support assisted derivatization coupled to diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) was proposed and proved useful for the detection and quantification of aliphatic amines in water as an example. Dabsyl chloride (DBS), ninhydrin and sodium 1,2-naphtoquinone 4-sulphonate (NQS) were assayed as derivatization reagents. C₁₈ and SDB-XC disks and C₁₈ cartridges were tested for amine retention and after that derivatization. The decrease of the orange colour of dabsyl chloride on SBD-XC disks produced by the formation of its derivative with methylamine in the support (10 min at 100 °C) allowed the selective determination of the amine at concentration level equal or higher than 0.5 mg L⁻¹. Ninhydrin can be used for methylamine, ethylamine, propylamine, butylamine and pentylamine (between 5 and 15 mg L⁻¹) by measuring the diffuse reflectance produced by the brown derivative formed in C₁₈ extraction disks after 15 min at 100 °C. NQS and C₁₈ SPE columns can be also employed to estimate amines, but the detection limits were higher than those provided by DBS and Ninhydrin, around 10 mg L⁻¹. As an example, found concentration of methylamine or total amines (expressed as -NH₂-N mg L⁻¹) in a wastewater sample is given employing dabsyl chloride or ninhydrin reagents, respectively with satisfactory results.     

An evaluation of solid phase microextraction for aliphatic amines using derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate and liquid chromatography

The reliability of SPME combined with a chemical reaction for the analysis of short-chain aliphatic amines by liquid chromatography has been investigated. Different options to couple SPME and derivatization have been tested and compared: (i) derivatization of the analytes in solution followed by the extraction of the derivatives, (ii) extraction of the analytes and subsequent derivatization by immersing the SPME fibre onto a solution of the reagent, and (iii) extraction/derivatization of the analytes using fibres previously coated with the reagent. Methylamine (MA), dimethylamine (DMA) and trimethylamine (TMA) have been selected as a model of primary, secondary and tertiary amines, respectively. The analytes have been derivatized with the fluorogenic reagent 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC), and the fibre coating was Carbowax-templated resin (CW-TR). The employment of fibres coated with FMOC to extract and derivatize the analytes was the best option, as compared with the other approaches tested the sensitivity was considerably improved. On the basis of these studies, a new procedure for the determination of MA, DMA and TMA in water is presented. To demonstrate the utility of the proposed conditions data on linearity, accuracy, repeatability and sensitivity are given. Results of the determination of the amines in tap, river and waste water are also presented.     

Determination of low molecular weight aliphatic primary amines in urine as their benzenesulphonyl derivatives by gas chromatography with flame photometric detection.

A selective and sensitive method for the determination of low molecular weight aliphatic primary amines in urine is described. These amines were converted into their benzenesulphonyl derivatives by a modified Hinsberg procedure, and measured by gas chromatography with flame photometric detection (FPD-GC) using a DB-1 capillary column. The derivatives were very stable and provided excellent FPD responses. By FPD-GC, linear calibration curves were obtained in the range 10-200 ng of methylamine, ethylamine, n-propylamine, isobutylamine and n-butylamine using tert-butylamine as an internal standard, and the detection limits of these amines were ca. 6-25 pg as the injection amount. Benzenesulphonamide derived from ammonia was converted into its N-dimethylaminomethylene derivative which has a longer retention time, and separated from benzenesulphonyl derivatives of low molecular weight primary amines on the chromatogram. The recoveries of aliphatic primary amines added to urine samples were 91-107% and the relative standard deviations were 0.2-4.5%. Analytical results of aliphatic primary amine contents in urine samples of normal subjects are presented.     

Optimization of a clean-up procedure for the determination of heterocyclic aromatic amines in urine by field-amplified sample injection-capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

Heterocyclic amines (HAs), generated when proteinaceous food is cooked, are of special interest since they can be carcinogenic for humans. In this paper, the optimization of a clean-up procedure for the isolation and preconcentration of 15 heterocyclic amines in urine samples is described. The method proposed combines liquid extraction on a solid support of diatomaceous earth with solid-phase extraction in cartridges. Tests were performed on several cartridges containing graphitic carbon or mixed phases, i.e., combining reversed-phase and cation-exchange mechanism, and the best results were obtained with Oasis MCX. The optimized purification method was applied to the quantification of heterocyclic amines in hydrolyzed spiked human urine. The method was carried out by capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) and applying field-amplified sample injection (FASI) as in-line preconcentration procedure. We obtained detection limits down to 0.3 ng/ml of urine and errors lower than 17%.