Micellar electrokinetic and high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of potential manufacturing impurities in pholcodine

Quantitative high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) and micellar electrokinetic chromatographic (MEKC) methods have been developed for the determination of four structurally related potential manufacturing impurities, including morphine, of the opiate derivative pholcodine. Pholcodine and the four impurities were separated by MEKC in less than 14 min using a 70 cm x 75 microm I.D. uncoated fused-silica capillary (25 kV at 30 degrees C) and a running buffer consisting of 10% acetonitrile (v/v) in 20 mM borate-phosphate buffer pH 8.0 containing 40 mM sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS). The MEKC method was compared to a HPLC method using a 5 microm Luna phenyl-hexyl column (150 x 4.6 mm I.D.) eluted with a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of 10% (v/v) acetonitrile, 7% (v/v) tetrahydrofuran in 20 mM phosphate buffer pH 8.0. Both methods were fully validated and a comparison was made regarding selectivity, linearity, precision, robustness and limits of detection and quantitation. The presence of the impurities in different samples of pholcodine drug substance was investigated using both methods.     

Separation of aromatic hydrophobic sulfonates by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Two different buffer systems for the separation of 12 aromatic hydrophobic sulfonates by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) were developed. The following buffer systems were used: aqueous phosphate buffers containing either cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) or sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Eleven aromatic sulfonates were simultaneously separated in less than 35 min employing 20 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.0 containing 50 mM SDS and 10% of acetonitrile.     

Application of a multivariate approach for analyte focusing by micelle collapse‐micellar electrokinetic chromatography for analyzing sunscreen agents in cosmetics

The operating parameters that affect the performance of the online preconcentration technique “analyte focusing by micelle collapse‐MEKC (AFMC‐MEKC)” were examined using a multivariate approach involving experimental design to determine the sunscreen agents in cosmetics. Compared to the single‐variable approach, the advantage of the multivariate approach was that many factors could be investigated simultaneously to obtain the best separation condition. A fractional factorial design was used to identify the fewest significant factors in the central composite design (cCD). The cCD was adopted for evaluating the location of the minimum or maximum response in this study. The influences of the experimental variables on the response were investigated by applying a chromatographic exponential function. The optimized condition and the relationship between the experimental variables were acquired using the JMP software. The ANOVA analysis indicated that the Tris pH value, SDS concentration, and ethanol percentage influenced the separation quality and significantly contributed to the model. The optimized condition of the running buffer was 10 mM Tris buffer (pH 9.5) containing 60 mM SDS, 7 mM γ‐CD, and 20% v/v ethanol. The sample was prepared in 100 mM Tris buffer (pH 9.0) containing 7.5 mM SDS and 20% v/v ethanol. The SDS concentration in the sample matrix was slightly greater than the CMC value that makes the micelle be easily collapsed and the analytes be accumulated in the capillary. In addition, sunscreen agents in cosmetics after 1000‐fold dilution were successfully determined by AFMC‐MEKC.     

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles-coated column for capillary electrochromatographic separation of oligopeptides

A novel column made through the condensation reaction of TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) with silanol groups of the fused-silica capillary is described. EOF measurements under various buffer constitutions were used to monitor the completion of reactions. The results indicated that the EOF was dependent on the interactions between buffers and the bonded TiO2 NPs. With formate/Tris buffer, EOF reversal at pH below 5 and cathodic EOF at pH above 5 were indicated. The pI of the bonded TiO2 NPs was found at approximately ph 5. Only cathodic EOF was illustrated by substituting the mobile phase with either glutamate or phosphate buffer. It was elucidated that both glutamate and phosphate buffer yield a negative charge layer on the surface of TiO2 NPs attributable to the formation of a titanium complex. The CEC performance of the column was tested with angiotensin-type oligopeptides. Some parameters that would affect the retention behavior were investigated. The interactions between the bonded phases and the analytes were explicated by epitomized acid-base functional groups of the oligopepetides and the speciation of the surface oxide in different pH ranges. The average separation efficiencies of 3.1 x 10(4) plates/m is readily achieved with a column of 70 cm (50 cm) x 50 mum ID under an applied voltage of 15 kV, phosphate buffer (pH 6.0, 40 mM), and UV detection at 214 nm.     

Synthesis and application of dehydroabietylisothiocyante as a new chiral derivatizing agent for the enantiomeric separation of chiral compounds by capillary electrophoretic

A new chiral derivatizing reagent, dehydroabietylisothiocyante (DHAIC), was synthesized and used for the enantiomeric separation of chiral compounds in capillary electrophoresis (CE). The synthetic route to obtain DHAIC is described. The separation conditions for the chiral separation of several chiral compounds, such as protein amino acids and chiral drug DOPA were optimized. Best results for the chiral separation of DHAIC derivatized amino acids and DOPA were obtained in a running buffer consisted of 50 mM borate (pH 9.5), 5 mM sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and 20% acetonitrile for amino acids and 60 mM Na₂HPO₄ (pH 8.0), 17 mM SDS and 25% acetonitrile for DOPA. Under the conditions studied, chiral separation of five amino acids including Ser, Val, Ala, Thr, Cys and a chiral drug DOPA as their diastereomeric DHAIC derivatives has been achieved by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC).     

Sample stacking by field-amplified sample injection and sweeping for simultaneous analysis of acidic and basic components in clinic application

In this study, online sample concentration method, which coupled field-amplified sample injection (FASI) and sweeping technology with micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), was used to detect and analyze acidic and basic components in a single run. In order to concentrate the acidic and basic components simultaneously in a single run sweeping step, a combination of successive anion- and cation-selective injections were used. Before sample loading, a rinse buffer containing 50 mM Tris buffer (pH 3) with 41% MeOH and 0.1% polyethylene oxide (PEO) was injected in order to suppress the electroosmotic flow (EOF). Sample loading of anionic components was achieved by electrokinetic injection at a negative voltage of -2.5 kV for 80 s, and then the cationic components were injected at a positive voltage of +5 kV for 120 s. Finally, sweeping with SDS micelles from the separation buffer (25 mM Tris buffer with 60 mM SDS, pH 3) was performed at a negative voltage of -20 kV. This capillary electrophoretic methodology was applied to the quantification of acidic and basic drugs in commercial tablets and in plasma samples. The precision and accuracy of the proposed method at different concentrations ranging from high, medium, to low were evaluated on spiked plasma samples. The intra and interday precision and accuracy values at three concentrations were all below 6.1%. The method was also successfully applied to monitor the tested drugs in the plasma of nine elderly cardiovascular and/or Alzheimer's disease patients after oral administration of the commercial products.     

Separation of natural pyrethrum extracts using micellar electrokinetic chromatography

The separation of the six pyrethrin esters in a technical pyrethrum extract (Riedel-de-Ha?n, Cresent Chemical Co. Inc. Hauppauge, NY, USA) by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) using both sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and a polymerized surfactant as pseudo-stationary phases has been investigated and optimized. Parameters such as pH, SDS and polymerized sodium N-undecyl sulfate (poly-SUS) concentration, type and concentration of background electrolyte and organic modifier, as well as the acetonitrile/water ratio in the sample were studied to optimize the resolution, efficiency, and analysis time. An optimized separation of the six pyrethrin esters was achieved in 25 min with 25 mM Tris, buffered at pH 9, containing 30 mM SDS, 25% (v/v) acetonitrile, and an equal volume ratio of acetonitrile/water sample matrix at a voltage of 25 kV. The use of 0.5% (w/v) poly-SUS enhanced resolution of the pyrethrin esters and shortened the total analysis time from 25 to 20 min, compared to the SDS mediated separation. The optimized MEKC results are compared to the HPLC separation of these esters and show an improvement in efficiency and total analysis time.     

Multi-walled carbon nanotube composites with polyacrylate prepared for open-tubular capillary electrochromatography

A new phase containing immobilized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was synthesized by in situ polymerization of acid-treated multi-walled CNTs using butylmethacrylate (BMA) as the monomer and ethylene dimethacrylate as the crosslinker on a silanized capillary, forming a porous-layered open-tubular column for CEC. Incorporation of CNT nanomaterials into a polymer matrix could increase the phase ratio and take advantage of the easy preparation of an OT-CEC column. The completed BMA-CNT column was characterized by SEM, ATR-IR, and EOF measurements, varying the pH and the added volume organic modifier. In the multi-walled CNTs structure, carboxylate groups were the major ionizable ligands on the phase surface exerting the EOF having electroosmotic mobility, 4.0 × 10(4) cm2 V(-1)1 S(-1)1, in the phosphate buffer at pH 2.8 and RSD values (n=5), 3.2, 4.1, and 4.3%, for three replicate capillaries at pH 7.6. Application of the BMA-CNT column in CEC separations of various samples, including nucleobases, nucleosides, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, proved satisfactory upon optimization of the running buffers. Their optima were found in the borate buffers at pH 9.0/50 mM, pH 9.5/10 mM/50% v/v ACN, and pH 9.5/30 mM/10% v/v methanol, respectively. The separations could also be used to assess the relative contributions of electrophoresis and chromatography to the CEC mechanism by calculating the corresponding velocity and retention factors. Discussions about interactions between the probe solutes and the bonded phase included the π-π interactions, electrostatic repulsion, and hydrogen bonding. Furthermore, a reversed-phase mode was discovered to be involved in the chromatographic retention.     

Surfactant-induced electroosmotic flow in microfluidic capillaries

Control of EOF in microfluidic devices is essential in applications such as protein/DNA sizing and high‐throughput drug screening. With the growing popularity of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as the substrate for polymeric‐based microfludics, it is important to understand the effect of surfactants on EOF in these devices. In this article, we present an extensive investigation exploring changes in EOF rate induced by SDS, polyoxyethylene lauryl ether (Brij35) and CTAB in PMMA microfluidic capillaries. In a standard protein buffer (Tris‐Glycine), PMMA capillaries exhibited a cathodic EOF with measured mobility of 1.54 ± 0.1 (× 10^?4 cm²/V.s). In the presence of surfactant below a critical concentration, EOF was independent of surfactant concentration. At high concentrations of surfactants, the electroosmotic mobility was found to linearly increase/decrease as the logarithm of concentration before reaching a constant value. With SDS, the EOF increased by 257% (compared to buffer), while it was decreased by 238% with CTAB. In the case of Brij35, the electroosmotic mobility was reduced by 70%. In a binary surfactant system of SDS/CTAB and SDS/Brij35, addition of oppositely charged CTAB reduced the SDS‐induced EOF more effectively compared to nonionic Brij35. We propose possible mechanisms that explain the observed changes in EOF and zeta potential values. Use of neutral polymer coatings in combination with SDS resulted in 50% reduction in the electroosmotic mobility with 0.1% hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), while including 2% poly (N,N‐dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) had no effect. These results will potentially contribute to the development of PMMA‐based microfluidic devices.     

Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography as a powerful tool for pharmacological investigations without sample pretreatment: a precise technique providing cost advantages and limits of detection to the low nanomolar range.

A number of pharmaceuticals (e.g., acetaminophen, salicylic acid, sulfamethoxazole, theophylline, tolbutamide and trimethoprim) have been determined in human plasma by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), without sample pretreatment, using underivatized fused-silica capillaries. The total analysis time was only 10 min. A sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-containing borate buffer (60 mM with 200 mM SDS) at pH 10 was used. Between runs, proteins adsorbed to the capillary wall are removed by rinsing with SDS buffer and either acetonitrile (e.g., 50% v/v) or isopropanol (e.g., 10% v/v). Other rinsing procedures are discussed (salts, enzyme-containing solutions, organic solvents, sodium hydroxide, hydrofluoric acid). The separation system is tested in a concentration range between 10 ng/mL and 100 microg/mL; a detection limit of about 20 ng/mL can readily be obtained. The sensitivity was substantially improved using isopropanol as buffer additive. A day-to-day precision for relative peak areas of 1-2% relative standard deviation (RSD, n > 40) was reached in the upper concentration range. Under repeatability conditions, these values could also be obtained for low microg/mL concentrations. Thus, not only drug monitoring but also pharmacokinetic investigations from blood plasma become possible without further sample pretreatment.     

Molecularly bonded chitosan prepared as chiral stationary phases in open-tubular capillary electrochromatography: comparison with chitosan nanoparticles bonded to the polyacrylamide phase

The chiral selector, chitosan (CS), was attached to the silanized capillary via a silane coupling agent, (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (GTS), to form the GTS-CS capillary, and results for this capillary were compared with those of a previous study on the copolymerization of CS with methacrylamide (MAA) (forming the MAA-CS capillary). The GTS-CS capillary did not exhibit enantioselectivity for d/l-tryptophan, whereas the GTS-BSA capillary, which was prepared by replacement of CS with bovine serum albumin (BSA), succeeded in the chiral separation with an Rs = 2.4 in Tris buffer (50 mM, pH 8.5). To increase CS attachment, the CS units were crosslinked by succinic acid, and the resulting GTS-CS-s capillary phase improved the resolution to 1.9. Alternatively, the SiH-CS-s capillary was constructed by CS attachment on the silicon hydride phase via stepwise silanization and hydrosilation reactions and crosslinking by succinic acid, but this approach could only achieve a resolution of 1.4 in Tris buffer (50 mM, pH 9.5). Although the GTS-CS-s and SiH-CS-s capillaries were still inferior to the MAA-CS capillary (Rs = 3.8), the enantioselectivities of the three capillaries were all in the range of 1.4-1.6. For the (±)-catechin sample, the plate heights of the GTS-CS-s and SiH-CS-s capillaries conditioned in pH 8.5 Tris buffer with 60% MeOH modifier were 0.9 cm ((−)-catechin) and 6.0 cm ((+)-catechin)) and 2.9 cm (−) and 3.2 cm (+), respectively, and these heights were comparable to the MAA-CS capillary (2.5 cm (−), 6.0 cm (+)) in pH 6.6 phosphate buffer with 80% MeOH. Finally, a racemate of ibuprofen, a weakly acidic anti-inflammatory drug, was successfully baseline resolved by the GTS-CS-s and SiH-CS-s capillaries in the borate buffers, which were 30 mM at pH 7.5 and 10 mM at pH 8.0, respectively.     

Towards a general approach for the impurity profiling of drugs by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

A general micellar electrokinetic chromatographic (MEKC) strategy for the impurity profiling of drugs was developed involving a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) MEKC system. With this combination, in principle, each sample component passes the detector in at least one of the two MEKC systems provided that separation buffers of the same pH are used in both systems. In order to select the proper MEKC systems, the electroosmotic flow (EOF) and micelle migration time (t(mc)) were determined for separation buffers of several pH values, containing various amounts of surfactant and organic modifier. The selectivity of the MEKC systems was studied using a mixture of compounds with a wide range of physico-chemical properties. The final selection of two adequate MEKC systems for this approach was based on the requirements that the t(mc) (i.e., analysis time) of both systems was below 20 min and that the t(mc)/t(eof) ratio was above 3 or 2 for the SDS and CTAB system, respectively. Furthermore, the systems should provide high efficiency, exhibit differences in selectivity and use moderate concentrations of modifier and surfactant, so that, if needed, further optimization is possible. The selected MEKC systems contained 60 mM SDS or 10 mM CTAB, respectively, in a phosphate buffer (pH 7.5) with 10% acetonitrile. Some test compounds with extreme mobilities were used to demonstrate the suitability of the MEKC approach to detect each component of a sample. The potential of the proposed MEKC combination for impurity profiling was demonstrated by the analysis of fluvoxamine with several impurities at the 0.1% level.     

Characterization of glycerin-based polyols by capillary electrophoresis

Methods based on capillary electrophoresis (CE) have been developed to obtain the molar mass distribution (MMD) of glycerin-based polyols and details on the presence of mono- and difunctional byproducts in technical samples. Prior to the analyses the hydroxy end-groups of the trifunctional polyols were converted to chargeable and UV-active moieties with phthalic anhydride (PhAH) as the derivatization reagent. With a method of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) samples of glycerin-based polyols with average molar masses up to 6000 were separated according to their charge-to-size ratio. The separations were carried out with a buffer solution containing 50% (v/v) acetonitrile and 10 mM sodium tetraborate, and for detection UV absorption at 220 nm was measured. An approximately linear relation between the reciprocal of the effective mobilities and the degree of polymerisation of the glycerin-based polyols was found. Therefore, the proposed CZE system could be used to determine the degree of polymerisation and polydispersity of technical glycerin-based polyol samples. The effect of the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in the buffer solution on the CE separation of linear polyethylene glycols (PEGs), polypropylene glycols (PPGs) and ethylene oxide-propylene oxide (EO-PO) copolymers with different molar masses was investigated. The interaction between the charged polymer derivatives and SDS ions in solution increased strongly with the degree of polymerisation and the amount PO in the chain of the polymeric compounds. This behaviour made it possible to invert the migration order of EO-PO containing polymers of different size. With a background electrolyte (BGE) composition of 10mM SDS and 25% (v/v) acetonitrile in borate buffer mono- and difunctional byproducts were separated from the main glycerin-based polyols based on their number of end-groups. Accurate quantities for the mono- and difunctional impurities in technical glycerin-based polyol products were determined.     

Rapid determination of water- and fat-soluble vitamins with microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography

A rapid, reliable and reproducible method based on microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) for simultaneous determination of 13 kinds of water- and fat-soluble vitamins has been developed in this work. A novel microemulsion system consisting of 1.2% (w/w) sodium lauryl sulphate (SDS), 21% (v/v) 1-butanol, 18% (v/v) acetonitrile, 0.8% (w/w) n-hexane, 20mM borax buffer (pH 8.7) was applied to improve selectivity and efficiency, as well as shorten analysis time. The composition of microemulsion used as the MEEKC running buffer was investigated thoroughly to obtain stable separation medium, as well as the optimum determination conditions. Acetonitrile as the organic solvent modifier, pH of the running buffer and 1-butanol as the co-surfactant played the most important roles for the separation of the fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins and stabilization of system, respectively. The 13 water- and fat-soluble vitamins were baseline separated within 30 min. The system was applied to determine water- and fat-soluble vitamins in commercial multivitamin pharmaceutical formulation, good accuracy and precision were obtained with recoveries between 97% and 105%, relative standard derivations (RSDs) less than 1.8% except vitamin C, and acceptable quantitative results corresponding to label claim.     

Simultaneous determination of nine endogenous steroids in human urine by polymeric-mixed micelle capillary electrophoresis

A new CE system based on the use of polymeric-mixed micelles (cholic acid, SDS and the poloxamine Tetronic(?) 1107) was developed for the simultaneous determination of nine steroids in human urine. This method allows the baseline separation and quantitation of cortisol, androstenedione, estriol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, estrone, progesterone and estradiol in less than 25 min showing to be sensitive enough to detect low concentrations of these steroids in urine samples (5-45 ng/mL). The optimized electrophoretic conditions were performed using a 50 cm × 75 μm capillary, 18 kV, 25°C, with 44 mM cholic acid, 10 mM SDS, 0.05% w/v tetronic(?) 1107, 2.5% v/v methanol, 2.5% v/v tetrahydrofuran in 5 mM borate - 5 mM phosphate buffer (pH=8.0) as a background electrolyte and a dual 210/254 UV-detection. The method can simultaneously determine 0.1-120 μg/mL, which corresponds to 5-6000 ng/mL of steroids in 2 mL urine. The recoveries ranged between 82.4 and 101.5%. Due to its simplicity, speed, accuracy and reliability, the proposed method could be a potential alternative to the traditional methodologies used with clinical purposes.     

Analysis of glutathione by capillary electrophoresis based on sample stacking

Glutathione is a small peptide, which participates in cellular oxidation-reduction and detoxification. It is present in most biological tissues at different concentrations. The oxidized and reduced forms of the peptide were measured in erythrocytes and myocardial tissue by capillary electrophoresis based on stacking. After tissue homogenization or hemolysis of the red blood cells, the samples were deproteinized with acetonitrile and injected filling about 13% of the capillary volume. The electrophoresis was performed at 10 kV using a separation buffer of 250 mM borate, 50 mM Tris, pH 8.0. Sample stacking increased the sensitivity of detection by 10-20-fold.     

Separation of related opiate compounds using capillary electrochromatography

Capillary electrophoretic separations have been investigated for six controlled narcotic analgesic compounds having related structures. Owing to the similar charge-to-mass ratios of these compounds, capillary zone electrophoresis failed to provide a satisfactory separation, whereas a baseline-resolved separation was achieved in 10 min using micellar electrokinetic chromatography. Column efficiencies of 40,000-150,000 plates/m were obtained with a 50 cm long, 50 microm inner diameter (ID) capillary using 50 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in a 50 mM borate solution containing 12% isopropanol. In contrast, separation of this mixture by capillary electrochromatography proved to be significantly superior. The capillary was 15 cm long, with an ID of 75 microm, and was packed with 1.5 microm nonporous octadecyl silica (ODS) particles. The mobile phase consisted of 80% 10 mM tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) and 20% acetonitrile, and contained 5 mM SDS. A complete separation was obtained in 2.5 min with an efficiency of 250,000-500,000 plates/m.     

Analysis of drying oils used as binding media for objects of art by capillary electrophoresis with indirect UV and conductivity detection

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) was applied to analyse the long-chain fatty acid composition of vegetable oils, and their degradation products formed upon ageing when drying oils are used as binding media. The analytes were detected with contactless conductivity detection (CCD) and indirect UV absorption, both detectors positioned on-line at the separation capillary. The long-chain fatty acids were resolved in a background electrolyte (BGE) consisting of phosphate buffer (pH = 6.86, 15 mM) containing 4 mM sodium dodecylbenzensulfonate, 10 mM Brij 35, 2% (v/v) 1-octanol and 45% (v/v) acetonitrile. As in this system dicarboxylic analytes, the products of oxidative degradation of unsaturated fatty acids, cannot be determined, a suitable background electrolyte was developed by the aid of computer simulation program PeakMaster. It makes use of a 10 mM salicylic acid, 20 mM histidine buffer, pH 5.85, which combines buffering ability with the optical properties obligatory for indirect UV detection. This buffer avoids system eigenpeaks, which are often impairing the separation efficiency of the system. Separation of the dicarboxylic analytes was further improved by a counter-directed electroosmotic flow (EOF), obtained by dynamically coating the capillary wall with 0.2 mM cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. Long-chain fatty acids and their decomposition products could be determined in recent and aged samples of drying oils, respectively, and in samples taken from two paintings of the 19th century.     

Separation of antidepressants by capillary electrophoresis with in-line solid-phase extraction using a novel monolithic adsorbent

The separation of three selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) by capillary electrophoresis (CE) with fully integrated solid-phase extraction (SPE) is described. Polymeric monolithic SPE modules were prepared in situ within a fused silica capillary from either butyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate or 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate-co-butyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate. Using a 1 cm SPE module placed at the inlet of the capillary, a mixture of sertraline, fluoxetine and fluvoxamine was extracted from aqueous solution by applying a simple pressure rinse. Under pressure-driven conditions, efficient elution was possible from both SPE materials investigated using 50 mM phosphate buffer, pH 3.5 in acetonitrile (20/80, v/v). Two different strategies were investigated for the efficient elution and subsequent CE separation. Injection of an aqueous sample plug directly into the non-aqueous elution/separation buffer was found to be unsuitable with poor elution profiles observed in the electrodriven mode. Alternatively, a sample plug equivalent to several capillary volumes could be injected by pressure followed by filling the capillary with the non-aqueous elution/separation buffer from the outlet end using a combination of pressure and electrodriven flow. Using a neutral monolith, efficient elution/separation was not possible due to an unstable electroosmotic flow (EOF), however, by adding the ionisable monomer, 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate to the SPE module to increase and stabilise the EOF, it was possible to achieve efficient elution from the SPE module, followed by baseline separation by CE using a 200 mM acetate buffer, pH 3.5 in acetonitrile (10/90, v/v). With enrichment factors of over 500 achieved for each of the analytes this demonstrates the potential of in-line SPE-CE for the sensitive analysis of these drugs.     

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography as a fast screening method for the determination of 1,4-dihydropyridine calcium antagonists

A micellar electrokinetic chromatographic method (MEKC) was optimized for the separation of six calcium antagonists. The effects of the buffer (concentration and pH), concentration of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), the organic modifier, the injection time, and the voltage applied were studied. A final appropriate electrolyte of 50 mM borate buffer, pH 8.2, containing 20 mM SDS and 15% (v/v) acetonitrile was found to provide the optimum separation with respect to resolution and migration time. The samples were introduced hydrostatically for 4 s at 50 mbar injection pressure and the applied voltage was +25 kV. The screening of the six compounds was achieved in less than 15 min: nifedipine (migration time, tm = 6.9 min), nimodipine (tm = 10.1 min), felodipine (tm = 12.2 min), nicardipine hydrochloride (tm = 12.7 min), lacidipine (tm = 13.5 min) and amlodipine besylate (tm = 14.1 min, tm = 8 min). The method developed showed to be linear at least up to 70 micrograms/ml with a detection limit of about 5 micrograms/ml for each compound. The within-day and inter-day area reproducibility (R.S.D.) were, respectively, lower than 4.8 and 8.6% for six replicate samples.