Ion-pair chromatography of polythionates and thiosulfate with detection based on their catalytic effects on the postcolumn azide–iodine reaction

The reduction of iodine with azide, catalyzed by polythionates (tri-, tetra-, penta- and hexathionate) and thiosulfate, has been utilized as a postcolumn reaction for chromatographic determination of these sulfur oxyanions. The method is based on the separation of polythionates and thiosulfate on an octadecylsilica column with an acetonitrile–water (20:80, v/v) mobile phase (pH 5.0) containing 3 mM tetrapropylammonium hydroxide and 6 mM acetic acid, followed by photometric measurement of the residual iodine (as triiodide) from the catalytic postcolumn azide–iodine reaction after mixing a reaction solution containing azide and iodine with the column effluent. Chromatograms obtained for the sulfur oxyanions showed negative peaks as a result of the decrease in absorbance of background. The conditions for the catalytic postcolumn reaction of the sulfur oxyanions in the column effluents were established by varying the concentrations of azide, iodine, iodide and acetic acid in the reaction solution, and varying the flow-rate, reaction temperature and length of the reaction tube. The detection limits (defined as S/N=3) were 4.3 μM for trithionate, 0.10 μM for tetrathionate, 2.7 nM for pentathionate, 5.0 nM for hexathionate and 1.1 nM for thiosulfate. When compared with earlier methods, the proposed method gave a much higher sensitivity for the determination of two polythionates (penta- and hexathionate) and thiosulfate. This method was applied successfully to the analysis of polythionates and thiosulfate added to hot-spring water samples.     

Monitoring the effluents of the trichloroacetic acid process by high-performance liquid chromatography

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of small amounts of nitric acid and trichloroacetic acid in process effluents was developed. Acidic components of the effluents were separated on a reversed-phase C₁₈ column using 0.15 M ammonium sulphate as mobile phase and determined quantitatively by UV absorption at 210 nm. The detection limits for nitric acid and trichloroacetic acid were 1.4 and 10 μg/l, respectively.     

Detection of traces of oxidized and reduced sulfur compounds in small samples by combination of different high-performance liquid chromatography methods

Depending on the sulfur species, picomoles of different inorganic sulfur compounds can be detected and separated by HPLC in one arrangement in a sample volume less than 50 μl. The combination of fluorescence labelling of reduced inorganic sulfur compounds such as sulfide (S²⁻), sulfite(SO₃²⁻ and thiosulfate (S₂O₃²⁻) with monobromobimane followed by an extraction of elemental sulfur (S°) by chloroform treatment enables the detection of all mentioned sulfur compounds as well as sulfate (remaining aqueous phase) in the same sample. While the derivatized sulfur compounds could be detected by their fluorescence emission at 480 nm, elemental sulfur is identified by its UV absorption at 263 nm. Sulfate in the remaining aqueous phase is detected by HPLC with indirect UV detection at 254 nm. Detection ranges for the different sulfur compounds examined are as follows: sulfide (5 μM to 1.5 mM), sulfite (5 μM to 1.0 mM), thiosulfate (1 μM to 1.5 mM), elemental sulfur (2 μM to 32 mM) and sulfate (5 μM to >1 mM).     

Low-molecular-mass anion screening for forensic environmental analyses by capillary zone electrophoresis with indirect UV detection

A method for low-molecular-mass anion screening is described using a buffer composed of 5-sulfosalicylate (SS) as a visualizing ion, hexadimethrine bromide as an electroosmotic flow modifier and Tris as a pH buffer component, at pH 8.6. All ions with effective mobility higher than 2610⁻⁹ m² s⁻¹ V⁻¹ can be separated within 7.5 min under −30 kV. By using the moderately mobile SS (5410⁻⁹ m² s⁻¹ V⁻¹), not only the sensitivity of the detection is improved due to its high UV absorptivity, but also a smaller overall overloading effect is achieved. Meanwhile, the resolution of the high mobility ions, which is normally critical, remains almost the same as compared to a chromate buffer. With an electrokinetic injection, the limit of detection (LOD) of the common ions is 2–13 nM and the detection range is linear up to 0.5–3 μM. With a hydrostatic injection the LOD is 0.15–1 μM and the detection range is linear up to 25–200 μM. The identification of ions is performed by comparing the mobility of the ions with that of standards, taking the apparent and effective mobility of HCO₃⁻, which is normally present in the sample solution, as a reference.     

Characterization of an avidin-bonded column for direct injection in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

An automatic method for the determination of metabolites of Ropivacaine in urine was set up. It utilizes supported liquid membrane extraction for sample clean-up and enrichment, followed by ion-pair chromatography determination using UV detection. The extraction was very selective with no observed interfering compounds from the urine matrix, permitting simple isocratic chromatographic analysis. The detection limits for spiked urine samples were 2–18 nM for the different compounds. The repeatability was 1–3% (RSD) with an internal standard that was also extracted, and about twice without this standard. A throughput of 3.3 samples per hour was achieved and the liquid membrane was stable for more than a week.     

Microchannel-assisted thermal-lens spectrometry for microchip analysis

We present a new method for homocysteine quantitation in human plasma based on in-capillary reaction of homocysteine with 2,2′-dipyridyl disulfide. Homocysteine is in this so-called thiol-exchange reaction quantitatively transformed in mixed disulfide concomitantly with formation of an equimolar amount of 2-thiopyridone that is further separated by micellar electrokinetic chromatography and determined specifically at 343 nm. The concentration of homocysteine is thus estimated indirectly from the result of 2-thiopyridone determination. The linear detection range for concentration versus peak area for the assay was from 0.03–3 mM (correlation coefficient 0.994) with a detection limit of 6 μM and a limit of quantitation 20 μM. The inter-day reproducibility of the peak area and the migration time were 1.37% and 0.05%, respectively. The method is simple, relatively rapid and can be easily automated. Moreover the common capillary electrophoresis apparatus with a UV detector can be used to distinguish between normal and pathological hyperhomocysteinemia plasma samples.     

Second derivative spectrophotometric determination of partition coefficients of phenothiazine derivatives between human erythrocyte ghost membranes and water

The absorption spectra of six phenothiazine derivatives, chlorpromazine, triflupromazine, promazine, promethazine, trifluoperazine and prochlorperazine, measured in the solutions containing various amounts of human erythrocyte ghosts (HEG) showed bathocromic shifts according to the amount of HEG. Due to the strong background signals caused by HEG, the baseline compensation was incomplete, even though the sample and the reference solutions contained the same amount of HEG, hence further spectral information could not be obtained. The second derivative spectra of these absorption spectra clearly showed the derivative isosbestic points, indicating that the residual background signal effects were entirely eliminated. The derivative intensity differences of the phenothiazines (ΔD values) before and after the addition of HEG were measured at a specific wavelength. Using the ΔD values, the partition coefficients (K_p) of these drugs were calculated and obtained with R.S.D. of below 10 %. The fractions of partitioned phenothiazines calculated from the K_p values agreed well with the experimental values. The results indicate that the derivative method can be applicable to the determination of partition coefficients of drugs to HEG without any separation procedures.     

Sensitive and selective ion chromatographic method for the determination of trace beryllium in water samples

A selective and sensitive ion chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of beryllium in a number of water samples at low-μg/l concentrations. The separation was performed on a 250×4.0 mm I.D. iminodiacetic acid functionalised silica gel column. Chromatographed Be(II) was detected using visible detection at 590 nm following post-column reaction with chrome azurol S (CAS). The optimum separation and derivatisation conditions were studied in detail. The optimum eluent conditions were found to be 0.4 M KNO₃, adjusted to pH 2.5 using HNO₃, with optimum post-column detection being achieved using a solution containing 0.26 mM CAS, 2% Triton X-100, 50 mM 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid, pH 6.0. Under the above conditions, the concentration detection limit for Be(II) was found to be 3 μg/l in a standard solution and 4 μg/l in a typical tap water sample, using a 250 μl injection. The method was linear over the investigated range of 10 μg/l to 10 mg/l and highly reproducible. The method was successfully applied to a number of water samples of varying matrix complexity, including simulated seawater, and also to a natural freshwater certified reference material NIST 1640.     

Fluorimetric determination of phenothiazine derivatives by photooxidation in a flow-injection system

Flow-injection analysis (FIA) was combined with photochemically induced fluorescence (PF) detection for the determination of four phenothiazine derivatives, including unsubstituted phenothiazine, thionine, Azure A and Methylene Blue. The working analytical parameters (flow-rate, injected volume, photoreactor length) were optimized. Linear calibration graphs were obtained over about two orders of magnitude, with relative standard deviation within the range 1-2.3%. Limits of detection were between 13 and 35 ng/ml, according to the compound. The FIA-PF method was applied to the determination of phenothiazines in urine samples. Mean recoveries ranged from 94 to 117%.     

Comparative methodology in the determination of alpha-oxocarboxylates in aqueous solution ion chromatography versus gas chromatography after oximation, extraction and esterification

A direct, simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of ketoprofen with ibuprofen as internal standard. Samples were chromatographed on a 5 μm Kromasil 100 C₁₈ column. The mobile phase was a mixture of acetonitrile–0.01 M KH₂PO₄ adjusted to pH 1.5 with orthophosphoric acid 85% (60:40, v/v). Detection was at 260 nm and the run time was 10 min. The detector response was found to be linear in the concentration range 0.02 to 40 μg/ml. This HPLC assay has been applied to measure the “in vitro” percutaneous penetration of ketoprofen through rat skin.     

Use of on-line liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for the rapid investigation of flavonoids from Sorocea bomplandii

A HPLC method, using photochemically-induced fluorescence detection, is described for the separation and determination of four phenylurea herbicides including diuron, isoproturon, linuron and neburon. A post-column photoreactor, consisting of a reactor knitted around a 4 W xenon lamp, has been included between the column and the detector, in order to transform the non-fluorescent herbicides into fluorophors. The influence of mobile phase composition, flow-rate, pH, and buffer concentration has been studied. An acetonitrile–buffer solution of potassium phosphate dibasic of pH 7 and 0.01 M concentration (60:40, v/v), was selected as optimum. For the fluorimetric detection, optimal excitation/emission wavelengths 324/403, 301/433, 335/411 and 326/385 nm were selected for the determination of diuron, isoproturon, linuron and neburon, respectively. The detection limits ranged between 0.07 and 0.46 μg/ml, according to the compound.     

Determination of fluoride in feed mixtures by capillary isotachophoresis

An isotachophoretic (ITP) method for the determination of fluoride in feed mixtures was developed. A sample of feed mixture, after extraction with 1 M HCl, was analysed using a ZKI 02 column-coupling isotachopherograph. Leading electrolytes for presentation and analytical capillaries consisted of 0.008 M HCl-0.022 M -aminocaproic acid (EACA)-0.001 M CaCl₂-0.05% hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) and 0.002 M HCl-0.005 M EACA-0.05% HPMC, respectively. The terminating electrolyte was 0.01 M tartaric acid. The fluoride released from samples by microdiffusion in 25% perchloric acid was determined using an Ionosep 900.1 single capillary isotachopherograph with 0.002 M HCl-0.005 M EACA-0.05% HPMC as the leading electrolyte and 0.002 M tartaric acid as the terminating electrolyte. The detection limit, depending on the sample treatment, was as low as 4 μg/g as fluoride. A comparison of the developed ITP method with ion- selective electrode method was carried out.     

Chemiluminescence nitrogen detection in ion chromatography for the determination of nitrogen-containing anions

Chemiluminescence nitrogen detection (CLND) provides equimolar response for nitrogen-containing ions such as nitrate, nitrite, cyanide, ammonium and tetradecyltrimethylammonium. Only azide yields a lower response. Nitrite, azide and nitrate are separated on a Dionex AS11 column using 5 mM NaOH as eluent with a 3 μM (1 ng N) limit of detection. Matrices, such as 1:10 diluted seawater, do not degrade these detection limits. CLND also provides equally sensitive (limit of detection 3 μM, 78 ppb) detection of weak acids such, as cyanide, which yield poor sensitivity with suppressed conductivity detection.     

Determination of trimethylselenonium iodide, selenomethionine, selenious acid, and selenic acid using high-performance liquid chromatography with on-line detection by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry or flame atomic absorption spectrometry

An analytical method has been developed for the determination of selenious acid, selenic acid, trimethylselenonium ion, and selenomethionine. The four selenium compounds were separated by HPLC on a column (25 cm×4 mm I.D.) of the anion-exchanger ESA Anion III with a mobile phase (1.5 ml/min) of 0.0055 M ammonium citrate (pH 5.5). Detection was carried out using an on-line inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) or a flame atomic absorption spectrometer (FAAS) as the selenium-specific detector. The chromatographic parameters and the chemical factors affecting the separation of the selenium species were optimized. The four selenium compounds could be separated within 8 minutes. The detection limits of the coupled HPLC–FAAS system were approximately 1 mg Se/l for each compound (100 μl injection), estimated as three times the base-line noise of the chromatograms. More powerful selenium detection was achieved with an ICP-MS. Selenium was measured at m/z 78. To increase the nebulization efficiency, the Meinhard concentric glass nebulizer was replaced by an ultrasonic nebulizer. The ICP-MS signal intensity was increased with the ultrasonic nebulization by a factor of 7 times for selenious acid and 24 to 31 times for trimethylselenonium ion, selenomethionine, and selenic acid compared to that with the Meinhard nebulization. The detection limits achieved by the HPLC–ICP-MS with the ultrasonic nebulization were 0.08 μg Se/l for trimethylselenonium ion, 0.34 μg Se/l for selenious acid, 0.18 μg Se/l for selenomethionine, and 0.07 μg Se/l for selenic acid, respectively.     

Simultaneous high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of altersolanol A, B, C, D, E and F

A high-performance liquid chromatographic model for the simultaneous determination of altersolanol A–F by using a reversed-phase column with an acetonitrile-water gradient elution system is described. The analysis can be completed within 13 min, the detection limits are 0.2–0.5 pmol per injection (5 μl) and the relative standard deviations are 0.90–1.34%. The method was applied satisfactorily to the determination of altersolanols in culture media of a strain of Alternaria solani without any prepurification.     

Rapid determination of drugs in biofluids by capillary electrophoresis Measurement of antipyrine in saliva for pharmacokinetic studies

A micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography method was developed that permitted the resolution of antipyrine from endogenous compounds and its quantitation in neat saliva in as little as 1 min. Final conditions were: SpectraPhoresis 1000, 30(23) cm × 50 μm silica capillary, 50 mM sodium phosphate pH 9.6, 50 mM SDS, 10 s hydrodynamic load, detection scanning 200–300 nm or 260 nm, run 25 kV. To overcome the effects of Joule heating the capillary was cooled to 15°C. Sensitivity was <10 μM and linearity extended to 350 μM. Comparison with an HPLC assay demonstrated that hydrodynamic injection gave a loading bias unless samples and standards were of equal viscosity. For 75 samples from five subjects the correlation of CE vs. HPLC was then r = 0.99.     

Potentiometric study of reaction between tetrabutylammonium periodate and phenothiazine in chloroform; application to the analysis of phenothiazine derivatives

The reaction between tetrabutylammonium periodate and phenothiazine in the presence of the strong acids in chloroform was studied by potentiometry and the reaction pathways were determined. The oxidimetric titration conditions of phenothiazine derivatives using a standardized chloroform solution of tetrabutylammonium periodate were optimized and a potentiometric detection of end points was utilized. The relative standard deviation for the determination of 5 mg phenothiazines was obtained about 1-1.5%. The method was applied for the determination of phenothiazines in various pharmaceutical preparations after extraction into chloroform.     

Anion-exchange separation and determination of bisphosphonates and related analytes by post-column indirect fluorescence detection

Bisphosphonic acids and their salts can be detected after their liquid chromatographic separation by post-column indirect fluorescence detection (IFD). After separation the analyte is combined with the highly fluorescent Al³⁺–morin (2′,3,4′,5,7-pentahydroxyflavone) solution and fluorescence decreases because of the formation of the nonfluorescent Al³⁺–bisphosphonate complex. The decrease in fluorescence is proportional to the amount of bisphosphonate present. Separation of the multivalent anionic bisphosphonate analytes from other anions and sample matrix is achieved on a strong base anion-exchange column with a strong, basic eluent. The post-column reaction variables, which influence IFD, are identified and optimized for the detection of the bisphosphonates after separation on the anion exchanger. The method is selective, since only a few anions will undergo a reaction with the Al³⁺–morin solution, and sensitive, detection limit for difluoromethylene bisphosphonate, F₂MDP, is 4 ng for S/N=3. The separation–IFD method can be applied to the determination of bisphosphonates, such as F₂MDP, ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-bisphosphonic acid, dichloromethylene bisphosphonic acid, 4-amino-1-hydroxybutane-1,1-bisphosphonic acid, in biological samples. The separation–IFD method is also applicable to the detection of inositol phosphate anions.     

Analysis of promazines in bovine livers by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet and fluorimetric detection

Fluorimetric and UV methods of detection for liquid chromatographic determination of phenothiazines (chlorpromazine, acetopromazine and propionylpromazine) were developed. The effects of several experimental parameters on the separation and the sensitivity of the methods were evaluated. The detection limits ranged from 31 to 350 ng ml⁻¹. Optimized methods were successfully applied to determination of the promazines in bovine liver samples.     

Quantitative analysis of tylosin by column liquid chromatography

A column liquid chromatographic method suitable for the quality control of tylosin A is described. The determination can be carried out on different C₈ or C₁₈ columns, using a mobile phase containing acetonitrile, 0.2 M tetrabutylammonium hydrogensulphate, 0.2 M phosphoric acid and water. The flow-rate is 1 ml/min and detection is performed at 280 nm. The method shows good selectivity towards the major components tylosin A, B, C and D and demycinosyltylosin. Minor degradation products, mainly observed in solutions, are also separated. The compositions of several standards are compared and results for a number of commercial samples are presented.