Ferrocene-based novel electrochemical In sensor

A new ferrocene-based electrochemical sensor 1 for In³⁺ with amide and thiourea as binding sites was synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystal analysis. Among various metal ions, 1 displays highly selective electrochemical signal changes for In³⁺ over other metal ions, with its color changing from yellow to orange.     

Ferrocene-based novel electrochemical chemodosimeter for mercury ion recognition

A new ferrocene-based electrochemical chemodosimeter (1) for mercury(II) ion was prepared and characterized by X-ray crystal analysis. Among various metal ions, 1 displays highly selective electrochemical signaling changes for Hg²⁺ over other metal ions in regard to a mercury-promoted intramolecular cyclic guanylation of thiourea.     

Determination of biogenic amines in food samples using derivatization followed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatography (LC)/mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of selected biogenic amines in various fish and other food samples. It is based on a precolumn derivatization of the amines with succinimidylferrocenyl propionate under formation of the respective amides and their reversed-phase liquid-chromatographic separation with subsequent electrospray ionization mass-spectrometric detection. Deuterated putescine, cadaverine, and histamine are added prior to the derivatization as internal standards that are coeluted, thus allowing excellent reproducibility of the analysis to be achieved. Depending on the analyte, the limits of detection were between 1.2 and 19.0 mg/kg, covering between 2 and 3 decades of linearity. The limit of detection and the linear range for histamine are suitable for the surveillance of the only defined European threshold for biogenic amines in fish samples. Compared with the established ortho-phthalaldehyde (OPA)/LC/fluorescence method, the newly developed method allows an unambiguous identification of the biogenic amines by their mass spectra in addition to only retention times, a fivefold acceleration of the separation, and independency from the sample matrix owing to the isotope-labeled internal standards. Various fish, calamari, and salami samples were successfully analyzed with the new method and validated with an independent OPA/LC/fluorescence method.     

同轴式电化学电喷雾质谱离子源研究蒽电化学衍生十二胺

提出一种同轴式电化学电喷雾质谱离子源, 用于电化学与质谱分析在线联用. 离子源结构简单, 造价低廉, 容易制作. 离子源内的电化学反应器工作在两电极模式, 利用自制的悬浮在电喷雾高压上的无线电化学工作站控制. 使用二苯基蒽或三乙胺的乙腈溶液作为分析物, 全面测试了离子源的性能, 包括电势控制精度、电化学转化率、响应时间和抗污能力等. 测试溶液添加浓度约10 mmol·L^-1的银盐作为电解质和去极剂, 将溶液电阻降至250 Ω, 提高了在线联用的电势控制精度. 所测二苯基蒽溶液流动时的伏安曲线与常规三电极体系的循环伏安曲线基本一致. 在3.6 μL·min^-1的流速下, 离子源的响应时间不超过5 s, 三乙胺的电化学转化率高达77%. 利用此离子源, 研究了蒽的电化学衍生反应, 衍生试剂为十二胺. 蒽作为一种非极性物质, 不能为常规电喷雾质谱检测. 而利用电化学电喷雾质谱离子源, 蒽首先发生电化学氧化反应, 进而与衍生试剂作用生成各种极性物质, 被电喷雾质谱检测. 依据质谱检测到的主要反应产物的相对分子质量与结构提出了衍生反应的机理, 有助于理解蒽的复杂电化学行为.     

Determination of biogenic amines in wines by pre-column derivatization and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry

A new HPLC method for determining biogenic amines in wines is developed. This method is based on pre-column amine derivatization, further separation of derivatives and on-line hyphenation of HPLC to atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (APCI-MS). Biogenic amines have been derivatized with 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonate at 65 °C and pH 9.2 for 5 min. The separation of derivatives has been accomplished in a C₁₈ analytical column using an elution gradient based on increasing the percentage of methanol. Derivatives have been ionized in positive mode and detected by selected ion monitoring. The operating conditions of the APCI-MS system (voltages, temperatures and gases) have been thoroughly optimized to obtain the maximum sensitivity for all analytes. In the selected conditions, APCI-MS spectra display little fragmentation and good signal-to-noise ratio. Depending on the amine characteristics, the main spectral peaks are due to mono- and di-derivative products. Figures of merit of the method have been established under the selected conditions using red wine samples. Recoveries ranging from 94% to 106% have been obtained which prove excellent accuracy of the method in the determination of histamine, putrescine, cadaverine, tryptamine, phenylethylamine, tyramine and serotonin in red wines. The proposed method has been applied to the analysis of commercial wines from different Spanish regions.     

Ionic liquids in analytical chemistry

Ionic liquids (ILs) are composed entirely of ions and they possess fascinating properties, including low volatility, tunable viscosity and miscibility, and electrolytic conductivity, which make ILs unique and useful for many applications in chemical analysis. The dramatic increase in the number of publications on ILs is indicative of the tremendous interest in this field from analytical chemists. This review summarizes recent efforts in the major subdisciplines of analytical chemistry, including extractions, gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, electrochemistry, sensors, and spectroscopy.     

Profiling of N-linked oligosaccharides using phenylhydrazine derivatization and mass spectrometry

N-linked oligosaccharide standards obtained from commercial sources were derivatized with phenylhydrazine (PHN) and analyzed by on-line reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). This procedure was then applied to mixtures of N-glycans enzymatically released from hen ovalbumin. Under ESI-MS conditions, phenylhydrazones of asialylated oligosaccharide standards and ovalbumin glycans produced mainly [M + 2H]2+ molecular ions at low cone voltage values, while minimal fragmentation was observed. Reversed-phase HPLC/ESI-MS total and selected ion chromatograms obtained for derivatized N-glycans from ovalbumin showed partial but useful separation. Overall glycan profiles obtained by ESI-MS were compared with results obtained by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-MS. Qualitatively, profiles were similar from one technique to the other in terms of relative abundance of glycans versus composition. Post-source decay (PSD) analysis of the [M + Na]+ ions of PHN-glycans showed dominant B, C and internal B/Y, C/Y cleavages. These patterns were helpful in relating fragmentation to proposed structures. Cross-ring cleavage fragment ions (A-type) were also observed in most cases. The PHN derivatization method is fast and simple. It produces abundant parent ions in both MALDI-MS and ESI-MS, while avoiding the presence of salt contaminants during the labeling procedure.     

On-line counting of cysteine residues in peptides during electrospray ionization by electrogenerated tags and their application to protein identification

The electrochemically induced mass spectrometric tagging of cysteines by substituted hydroquinones was studied for peptides in a classical electrospray solvent (i.e., MeOH/H2O/AcOH 50/49/1). The tagging efficiency was tested with different hydroquinone compounds on an undecapeptide containing one cysteine residue. 2-carboxymethylhydroquinone was the most reactive probe and revealed to be suitable for cysteine quantification in peptides containing up to three cysteine residues, even in the case of two consecutive cysteines in the sequence. We demonstrate the compatibility of the on-line electrochemical tagging method for the cysteine content analysis of peptides coming from gel-free protein digestion procedures. The identification of bovine serum albumin and human alpha-lactalbumin digest samples in a peptide mapping strategy was greatly improved by the application of the electrotagging technique as post-column treatment. Indeed, the determination of cysteine content in the tryptic peptides provided powerful information in order to enhance the identification score as well as the discrimination against other protein candidates. The tagging method was then applied to the determination of four proteins in a model mixture.     

Electrochemical Initiated C‐N Coupling of 3‐Methylcatechol and n‐Hexylamine in a Flow Cell Monitored with ESI‐MS

The electrochemical initiated heterocoupling of 3‐methylcatechol and n‐hexylamine was investigated. The oxidation of 3‐methylcatechol was performed in an electrochemical flow cell with glassy carbon as the working electrode. As a result, the two‐electron, two‐proton oxidised chinone intermediate undergoes a C‐N coupling reaction in the presence of an amine (Michael addition). This mono coupling product can undergo a second two‐electron, two‐proton oxidation depending on acidic or basic conditions and substrate ratios. This flow cell was coupled on‐line with electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry to identify the possible coupling products. Higher substrate concentrations were performed off‐line as first scale‐up experiments in a two‐step procedure.     

Present and future of glow discharge — Time of flight mass spectrometry in analytical chemistry

The coupling of glow discharges (GDs) as ion sources for time of flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) chemical analysis has been extensively investigated during the last two decades. However, important instrumental advances in GD-TOFMS as well as demonstration of unique analytical applications (particularly quasi-simultaneous production of elemental, structural and molecular information from organics in gas phase, multielemental depth profile analysis with high depth resolution of layered materials, direct speciation in solid samples and identification of polymers) are rocketing in the last years.In the present review, instrumental developments and recent applications of GD-TOFMS are presented, both for the elemental and molecular direct solid analyses of materials and for analytes in gaseous phase (including permanent gases, vaporized compounds and GD-TOFMS uses as detector for gas chromatography). Also, GD-TOFMS analytical potential in important fields of modern research is critically discussed.     

兴奋剂检测中的化学衍生化方法

本文评述了兴奋剂检测中的各种化学衍生化方法,对蛋白同化激素、麻醉镇痛剂、β-阻断剂和利尿剂分别进行了讨论。这四类药物结构各不相同,但绝大多数属于高沸点、难挥发的极性化合物,不适于直接进行GC或GC/MS分析。通过化学衍生化.不仅可增大试样的挥发性和稳定性,减小样品的极性,使原来难以进行GC分析的试样转变成适合于色谱分析的试样,而且通过衍生化还可达到改善分离效果、提高检测灵敏度的目的。     

Magnetic ionic liquids in analytical chemistry: A review

Magnetic ionic liquids (MILs) have recently generated a cascade of innovative applications in numerous areas of analytical chemistry. By incorporating a paramagnetic component within the cation or anion, MILs exhibit a strong response toward external magnetic fields. Careful design of the MIL structure has yielded magnetoactive compounds with unique physicochemical properties including high magnetic moments, enhanced hydrophobicity, and the ability to solvate a broad range of molecules. The structural tunability and paramagnetic properties of MILs have enabled magnet-based technologies that can easily be added to the analytical method workflow, complement needed extraction requirements, or target specific analytes. This review highlights the application of MILs in analytical chemistry and examines the important structural features of MILs that largely influence their physicochemical and magnetic properties.     

New analytical strategies in studying drug metabolism

Identification and elucidation of the structures of metabolites play major roles in drug discovery and in the development of pharmaceutical compounds. These studies are also important in toxicology or doping control with either pharmaceuticals or illicit drugs. This review focuses on: new analytical strategies used to identify potential metabolites in biological matrices with and without radiolabeled drugs; use of software for metabolite profiling; interpretation of product spectra; profiling of reactive metabolites; development of new approaches for generation of metabolites; and detection of metabolites with increased sensitivity and simplicity. Most of the new strategies involve mass spectrometry (MS) combined with liquid chromatography (LC).     

Quantification of piperazine phosphate in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry employing precolumn derivatization with dansyl chloride

This paper describes a novel method that combines dansyl chloride (DNS-CL) derivatization with high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS/MS) for the sensitive and selective determination of piperazine phosphate in human plasma. After addition of ondansetron hydrochloride as internal standard (IS), piperazine phosphate was derivatized and then extracted with ethyl acetate. After being evaporated and reconstituted, the sample was analyzed using LC-ESI/MS/MS. Separation was achieved using an Agilent ZORBAX SB-C₁₈ (150 mm × 2.1 mm I.D., 3.5 μm) column and isocratic elution with 10 mM ammonium acetate solution (pH 3.0)-methanol (50: 50, v/v). Detection was performed on a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer utilizing electrospray ionization (ESI) interface operating in positive ion and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode with the precursor to product ion transitions m/z 320 → 171 for DNS-CL-piperazine phosphate and m/z 294 → 170 for the IS. The method was fully validated for its selectivity, sensitivity, linearity, precision, accuracy, recovery, matrix effect and stability. The coefficient (r) of piperazine phosphate with a linear range of 0.1-15 μg mL⁻¹ was 0.9974-0.9995. The limit of detection and lower limit of quantification in human plasma were 0.01 and 0.1 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. The validated LC-ESI/MS/MS method has been successfully applied to a bioequivalence study of piperazine phosphate trochiscus in Chinese healthy male volunteers.     

High Performance Liquid Chromatography/Electrochemistry/High Resolution Electrospray Ionization‐Mass Spectrometry (HPLC/EC/HR ESI‐MS) Characterization of Selected Cytokinins Oxidation Products

Electrochemistry combined with mass spectrometry represents an emerging analytical technique used to study the oxidation pathway of various drugs and in vivo occurring compounds, continuously showing a capability to generate many known metabolites or new oxidation products. An on‐line HPLC/EC/HR ESI‐MS method had been used to investigate the oxidation of selected cytokinin compounds. This setup allowed rapid identification and general structure elucidation of the obtained products. An electrochemical oxidation of isopentenyladenine resulted in five products, including hydroxylated and dehydrogenated products, which correlates very well with its in vivo metabolism. Electrochemical conversion of trans‐zeatin revealed six products, with two dehydrogenation products corresponding to its in vivo occurring metabolites. cis‐Zeatin oxidation in the electrochemical cell gave rise to eight products, resembling similarity to trans‐zeatin oxidation. All three compounds underwent a complete turnover mainly through two oxidation reactions occurring in the electrochemical cell? dehydrogenation and a less typical aliphatic hydroxylation. The resulting products are in correlation with their known in vivo metabolism.     

顶空衍生固相微萃取-气相色谱质谱法测定聚碳酸酯树脂中的环境雌激素

建立了固相微萃取-气相色谱质谱联用测定聚碳酸酯树脂中环境雌激素4-枯基苯酚和双酚A的分析方法。优化了固相微萃取纤维、萃取温度和时间、解吸时间、搅拌速度、pH等萃取条件及衍生化温度和时间、衍生化方式等衍生化条件，并对样品浸泡时间、浸泡温度等进行了研究。方法的线性范围为0．05μg/L～1mg／L，4-枯基苯酚和双酚A的检出限分别为50ng／L和0．5ng／L，相对标准偏差（RSD，n=5）分别为5．2％和1．6％，平均回收率（n=3）在90．50％～107．3％之间，该方法简单、快速、灵敏。     

Determination of hydroxycarbamates in aqueous matrices by direct derivatization and GC-MS analysis in chemical ionization mode

A rapid and effective procedure, developed for the determination of polar compounds in water, has been applied to hydroxycarbamates. In few minutes, it is possible to perform a catalyzed derivatization of such compounds directly in the aqueous medium, using n-hexyl chloroformate. Extraction with n-hexane and injection into a benchtop GC-MS system are the only two further steps to complete the analysis. Chemical ionization proved to be more effective than electron impact to produce valuable mass spectra in terms of selectivity and sensitivity. Linear quantitative responses were demonstrated over a two-order-of-magnitude range. The minimum detectable concentration was 3 ppb for acetohydroxamic acid and 10 ppb for hydroxyurethane, obtained from Po river water samples spiked with the two hydroxycarbamate standards.     

New analytical method for the study of the metabolism of gentiopicroside in rats after oral administration by LC–TOF‐MS following picolinoyl derivatization

The metabolism of gentiopicroside (GPS) in vivo was studied for the first time by LC–MS following picolinoyl derivatization. Incubation of erythrocentaurin, one of the main in vitro metabolites of GPS by intestinal bacteria, with liver microsome indicated that GPS might be metabolized to a final metabolite 3,4‐dihydro‐5‐(hydroxymethyl)isochroman‐1‐one (HMIO) in vivo. After hydrolysis with sulfatase, HMIO was successfully detected in rat plasma after oral administration of GPS by LC–MS following picolinoyl derivatization. 4‐Methoxyphenyl methanol was used as an internal standard to quantify HMIO in rat plasma. A metabolic pathway of GPS in rats is proposed. The monoterpene compound GPS was found to be metabolized to dihydroisocoumarin, which may be responsible for the pharmacological effect of GPS.     

Oxidation of Flavonols in an Electrochemical Flow Cell Coupled Online with ESI‐MS

Flavonols, a class of flavonoids, are jointly responsible for antioxidant activities as free radical acceptors in flowers, fruits and vegetables. Due to their electroactive behaviour, the oxidation of chrysin, flavonol, kaempferol, morin, quercetin and myricetin in methanol was performed in an electrochemical flow cell with glassy carbon as the working electrode. This flow cell was coupled online with electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry to identify the possible oxidation products. Based on these experiments, it was concluded that when certain structural requirement are present, the initial electrode reaction of flavonols involves an electron delivery electrochemical step followed by a chemical step via methanol addition. The redox activity of the selected species explains the number of observed multiple methoxylation. Moreover, we identified a second two‐electron, two‐proton oxidation of the formed oxidation products of quercetin and myricetin for the first time.     

Development of a quantitative high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method for sucralose in sewage effluent, surface water, and drinking water

Sucralose, a persistent chlorinated substance used as sweetener, can already be found in waste water, and various countries focused on the release of sucralose into the aquatic environment. A quantitative high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method, which is orthogonal to existing methods, was developed to analyze sucralose in water. After sample preparation, separation of up to 17 samples was performed in parallel on a HPTLC plate silica gel 60 F(254) with a mixture of isopropyl acetate, methanol and water (15:3:1, v/v/v) within 15 min. Due to the weak native UV absorption of sucralose (≤200 nm), various post-chromatographic derivatization reactions were compared to selectively detect sucralose in effluent and surface water matrices. Thereby p-aminobenzoic acid reagent was discovered as a new derivatization reagent for sucralose. Compared to the latter and to β-naphthol, derivatization with aniline diphenylamine o-phosphoric acid reagent was slightly preferred and densitometry was performed by absorbance measurement at 400 nm. The limit of quantification (LOQ) of sucralose in drinking and surface water was calculated to be 100 ng/L for a given recovery rate of 80% and the extraction of a 0.5 L water sample. The sucralose content determined in four water samples obtained during an interlaboratory trial in 2008 was in good agreement to the mean laboratory values of that trial. According to the t-test, which compares the results with the target value, the means obtained by HPTLC were not significantly different from the respective means of six laboratories, analyzed by HPLC-MS/MS or HPLC-TOF-MS with the use of mostly isotopically labeled standards. The good accuracy and high sample throughput capacity proved HPTLC as a well suited method regarding quantification of sucralose in various aqueous matrices.