A Simple Method for Determination of Homologue Imidazolium Cations in Ionic Liquids Using IC with Direct Conductivity Detection

An investigation was carried out into the fast determination of five homologue imidazolium cations in ionic liquids by ion chromatography using a cation-exchange column and direct conductivity detection. Ethylenediamine, complex organic acid (citric acid, oxalic acid and tartaric acid) and organic modifiers (acetonitrile) were used as mobile phase. The influences of the eluent types, eluent concentration, eluent pH and column temperature on separation of the cations were discussed. Simultaneous separation and determination of the five homologue imidazolium cations in ionic liquids were achieved under an optimum condition. The optimized mobile phase was consisted of 0.25 mmol L^?1 ethylenediamine + 0.5 mmol L^?1 citric acid + 3% acetonitrile (v/v) (pH 4.1), set at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. The column temperature was 40 °C and detection limits were obtained in the range of 1.1–45.6 mg L^?1. The relative standard deviations of the chromatographic peak areas for the cations were <3.0% (n = 5). This method was successfully applied to separate imidazolium cations in ionic liquids produced by organic synthesis. The recoveries of spiked components were 92.5–101.9%.     

LC Tissue Distribution Study of Paeonol in Rats after Oral Administration

Paeonol, an important constituent of the traditional Chinese medicine Cortex Moutan, has a variety of bioactivity. A simple and sensitive HPLC?CUV method has been developed for analysis of paeonol in different rat tissue (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, and brain). Bio-samples were prepared by simple protein precipitation, and separation of paeonol was achieved on a C₁₈ column with methanol?C2% glacial acetic acid solution 70:30 (v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. UV detection was at 274 nm and the column temperature was 30 °C. Linearity was good between 0.025 and 5.0 ??g mL^?1 (r ² ?? 0.9990) for tissue samples. Inter-day and intra-day accuracy (as relative error, RE) and precision (as relative standard deviation, RSD) were <5.94 and 6.05%, respectively. The limit of detection was 0.025 ??g mL^?1 and extraction recovery for all samples was ??85.86%. The method was successfully applied to a tissue-distribution study after oral administration of 40 mg kg^?1 paeonol to healthy Sprague?CDawley rats. The study showed that paeonol was quickly distributed and eliminated after oral administration; liver and kidney were the major distribution tissues of paeonol in rats, and paeonol quickly passed through the blood?Cbrain barrier. It was also found there was no long-term accumulation of paeonol in rat tissues.     

Determination of Chlorophenoxy Acid Herbicides in Water Samples by Suspended Liquid-Phase Microextraction�CLiquid Chromatography

In this study, directly suspended liquid-phase microextraction was investigated for the extraction and determination of five chlorophenoxy acid herbicides in water samples. The optimized parameters for extraction of chlorophenoxy acid herbicides were 1 M HCl concentration in sample solution, solution temperature 20 °C, 45-min extraction time, 1,000 rpm stirring rate, 25 ??L extracting solvent volume and without NaCl addition. Under the optimum conditions, the enrichment factor ranged from 192 to 390. Calibration curves yielded good linearity (R ² > 0.999) and the linear range was 5.0?C500.0 ??g L^?1, limit of detection was 0.3?C0.4 ??g L^?1 and limit of quantification was 1?C2 ??g L^?1 for analytes and the relative standard deviations were in the range of 3?C10% (n = 3). Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to the quantification of five chlorophenoxy acid herbicides in water samples and recovery was in the range of 74?C110%.     

Rapid and Selective LC�CMS�CMS Method for the Determination of cyclo-trans-4-l-Hydroxyprolyl-l-serine (JBP485) in Rat Plasma

A rapid and selective liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometric method for the determination of JBP485 was developed and validated. Following protein precipitation, the analyte and internal standard (JBP923) were separated from human plasma using an isocratic mobile phase on an Elite Kromasil C18 column. An API 3200 tandem mass spectrometer equipped with a Turbo ionSpray ionization source was used as the detector and operated in the positive ion mode. Multiple reaction monitoring using the precursor to product ion combinations of m/z 201.2 ?? 86.2 and m/z 219.2 ?? 86.2 was performed to quantify JBP485 and JBP923, respectively. The method was linear in the concentration range of 0.10?C50.00 ??g mL^?1 using 100 ??L of plasma. The lower limit of quantification was 0.10 ??g mL^?1. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations over the entire concentration range were less than 6.65%. Accuracy determined at three concentrations (0.25, 4.00 and 25.00 ??g mL^?1 for JBP485) ranged from ?0.78 to 2.74% in terms of relative error. Each plasma sample was chromatographed within 2.0 min. The method was successfully applied to characterize the pharmacokinetic profiles of JBP485 in rats after an intravenous injection of 6.25 mg kg^?1 JBP485.     

Determination of Revaprazan in Human Plasma by LC�CMS�CMS and Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study in Chinese Volunteers

A sensitive, specific, and rapid liquid chromatography?Celectrospray ionization?Ctandem mass spectrometry (LC?CESI?CMS?CMS) method was developed for determination of revaprazan in human plasma. Plasma samples were simply treated with methanol to precipitate, and then isolated supernatants were directly injected into the LC?CESI?CMS?CMS system. A Thermo Hypurity C18 column (150 × 2.1 mm, 5 ??m) with mobile phase of methanol?Cwater (70:30, v/v) containing 0.05% formic acid was used for chromatographic separation. Mass-spectrometric quantification was carried out in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, monitoring the m/z transitions 363.1 ?? 245.1 for revaprazan and 531.2 ?? 489.2 for ketoconazole (internal standard, IS) in positive ion mode. The linear calibration curves covered a concentration range of 2?C1,000 ??g L^?1. The intra- and interday precisions (percentage relative standard deviation, RSD%) for revaprazan at three quality control levels were all <5%, and the accuracies were between 90% and 110%. The method has been successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study involving 12 Chinese volunteers, and the main pharmacokinetic parameters of revaprazan in Chinese population are reported for the first time.     

Simultaneous Determination of Nickel and Cobalt as Chelates with 1-(2-Pyridylazo)-2-naphthol Using an LC Switching Column Method

A simple liquid chromatographic method was developed for the separation and simultaneous determination of cobalt and nickel as chelates with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN). The method, using a switching column technique for the on-line purification and separation, enables to reach the sub-microgram per litre concentration level excluding off-line sample treatment with the exception of the derivatization reaction. Two small-sized columns packed with CN- and C₄-bonded stationary phases were selected and used considering their complementary behaviour with respect to chelated Co and Ni ions. The analysis was performed within 10 min using an optimised eluent (water–acetonitrile–methanol–tetrahydrofuran, 40:45:10:5, v/v/v/v) containing Tween 40 (10^?3 M) and acetate buffer (5 × 10^?3 M, pH 4.8). Detection was performed by UV-vis spectrophotometry (λ = 565 nm) permitting to reach quantification limits of 0.9 and 0.5 μg L^?1 for Co and Ni, respectively.     

Simultaneous Determination of Acetaminophen, Caffeine, and Chlorphenamine Maleate in Paracetamol and Chlorphenamine Maleate Granules

A simple and rapid HPLC method using phenacetin (PHN) as internal standard has been developed for simultaneous determination of acetaminophen, caffeine, and chlorphenamine maleate in the product compound paracetamol and chlorphenamine maleate granules. Separation and quantitation were achieved on a 250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm particle, C₁₈ column. The mobile phase was methanol 0.05 mol L^?1 aqueous KH₂PO₄ solution, 45:55 (v/v), containing 0.1% triethylamine and adjusted to pH 3.6 by addition of phosphoric acid; the flow rate was 1.0 mL min^?1. Detection of all compounds was by UV absorbance at 260 nm and elution of the analytes was achieved in less than 12 min. The linearity, accuracy, and precision of the method were acceptable to good over the concentration ranges 6.4–153.6 μg mL^?1 for acetaminophen, 5.0–120.0 μg mL^?1 for caffeine, and 9.6–230.4 μg mL^?1 for chlorphenamine maleate.     

Simultaneous Determination of Benzodiazepines and Ketamine from Alcoholic and Nonalcoholic Beverages by GC-MS in Drug Facilitated Crimes

A GC-MS method with HP-5MS capillary column was developed for the simultaneous determination of underivatized flunitrazepam, clonazepam, alprazolam, diazepam and ketamine from drinks by extraction with chloroform: isopropanol 1:1 (v/v). All linearity ranges were between 50 and 1,000 μg mL^?1 for all compounds both in beer and in peach juice. Limit of detection was between 1.3 and 34.2 μg mL^?1, limit of quantification was between 3.9 and 103.8 μg mL^?1, the range of recoveries was 73.0 and 112.6% for all drugs in both beverages. The reported method was sensitive, rapid, and suitable for the analysis of the spiked drinks as evidence of sexual assault and robbery phenomena.     

LC�CMS�CMS Quantitative Determination of Brivudine in Human Plasma and Its Application to Pharmacokinetic Studies

A sensitive and specific liquid chromatography?Celectrospray ionization?Ctandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for the identification and quantification of brivudine in human plasma using diclofenac as an internal standard. The method involves extraction with ethyl acetate. The analyte was separated on a C₁₈ column and analyzed in multiple reaction monitoring mode with a negative electrospray ionization interface using the [M?CH]^? ions, m/z 332.8??m/z 80.9 for brivudine, m/z 293.6??m/z 249.5 for diclofenac. The method was validated over the concentration range of 5.54?C2,836 ??g L^?1 for brivudine. The intra-and inter-day precisions were less than 8.91% in terms of relative standard deviation (RSD), and the accuracy was within ?4.22% in terms of relative error (RE). The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 5.54 ??g L^?1 with acceptable precision and accuracy. There were almost no matrix effects. Recovery of brivudine spiked in drug-free plasma was higher than 77.17%. The method was used to study the pharmacokinetic profile of brivudine in human plasma after oral administration of brivudine tablets.     

Simultaneous Determination of Zoalene and Its Metabolite in Chicken Muscle and Liver by SPE and UPLC�CMS-MS

This paper presents an analytical method for the simultaneous determination of zoalene and its metabolite 3-amino-5-nitro-o-toluamide (3-ANOT) in chicken muscle and liver by solid phase extraction and UPLC?CMS-MS operated in the positive and negative ionization switching mode. Samples were extracted with phosphate buffer solution and purified with OASIS^? HLB cartridge after pH adjustment. The determination was carried out using UPLC?CMS-MS on a Waters Acquity BEH C₁₈ column with 0.1% formic acid in water/acetonitrile as mobile phase with gradient elution. The linearity of the analytical response across the studied range of concentrations (2.0?C1,000 ??g L^?1) was excellent, obtaining correlation coefficients higher than 0.999. Matrix effects had been investigated for zoalene and 3-ANOT. Recovery studies were carried out on spiked chicken muscle and liver blank samples, at four concentration levels (50, 1,500, 3,000, and 4,500 ??g kg^?1 for chicken muscle and 50, 3,000, 6,000, and 9,000 ??g kg^?1 for chicken liver) performing six replicates at each level. Mean recoveries of 77.9?C94.2% with CVs of 3.2?C8.7% were obtained. The method demonstrated to be suitable for the simultaneous determination of zoalene and 3-ANOT in chicken tissues.     

Flow injection-based cloud point extraction of phosalone and ethion in seawater of Chabahar Bay and determination by high-performance liquid chromatography: study of use of carbon nanotube and nanofibers as a column filler in flow system

This study presents an easy and cost-effective flow-based cloud point extraction (CPE) method for determining partial amounts of two organophosphorus pesticides (phosalone and ethion) in seawater by HPLC–UV–Vis. In continues CPE methodology, the effect of the different column packing type such as carbon nanotube, polyacrylonitrile nanofiber and fiberglass on pesticide extraction was investigated. The Triton X-100 was utilized as nonionic surfactant, and moreover, effect of different parameters such as pH, temperature, extraction time, surfactant concentration, type and volume of the eluent solution on the extraction efficiency was optimized. Under optimum conditions, the figures of merit of the method for phosalone and ethion were obtained as: the enrichment factor (172 and 166), line range (0.8–300 and 0.5–300 µg L^?1, R ² = 0.9973 and 0.9982), relative standard deviation in concentration of 200 µg L^?1 (%RSD = %5.4 and %7.99, N = 5) and limit of detection (LOD = 0.24 and 0.14 µg L^?1). The suggested method was successfully used for determination of phosalone and ethion in Chabahar Bay seawaters with satisfactory results.     

Simultaneous Ion-Pair LC Analysis of Ephedrine and Pseudoephedrine in Rat Liver Microsomal Incubations: Application to In-Vitro Metabolism

(?)-Ephedrine (ephedrine, EPH) and (+)-ephedrine (pseudoephedrine, PEPH) are metabolized by the liver, but the species of hepatocyte cytochrome P450 (CYP450) responsible is not yet clear. To investigate which subtype of CYP450 is involved in the metabolism of EPH and PEPH, a rapid and reliable reversed-phase ion-pair liquid chromatographic method for simultaneous analysis of EPH and PEPH in rat liver microsomes has been established and validated. Matrine was selected as a suitable internal standard (IS) for calibration. After liquid?Cliquid extraction of liver microsomal samples with methyl tert-butyl ether, EPH and PEPH were separated on a C₁₈ reversed-phase column (200 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 ??m) with methanol?C0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate?Cphosphoric acid?Ctriethylamine 60:40:1.25:1 (v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min. Detection was by UV absorbance at 210.5 nm. For both EPH and PEPH, calibration curves were linear over the range 1.5?C60.0 ??g mL^?1, the limit of quantification was 1.5 ??g mL^?1, and intra-day and inter-day variability was <10.0%. Average extraction recovery of the two analytes was >73%. The validated method was successfully used to study the in-vitro metabolism of EPH and PEPH. In rat liver microsomes induced by dexamethasone, enzyme activity in the metabolism of EPH and PEPH was higher than that for metabolism of phenobarbital and ??-naphthoflavone.     

Simultaneous HPLC Determination of Four Key Metabolites in the Metabolic Pathway for Production of 1,3-Propanediol from Glycerol

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with refractive-index detection has been developed for simultaneous analysis of glycerol, dihydroxyacetone (DHA), 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde (3-HPA), and 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD), four key substances in the metabolic pathway for production of 1,3-PD from glycerol by microorganism fermentation. The compounds were separated on a 300 mm × 7.8 mm ion-exclusion column with a 65:35 (v/v) mixture of deionized water and acetonitrile, containing 0.0005 M H₂SO₄, as mobile phase. The flow rate was 0.5 mL min^?1. Under these conditions the retention times of 3-HPA, DHA, glycerol, and 1,3-PD were 6.87, 14.63, 16.37, and 18.50 min, respectively. Relative standard deviations and average recoveries were between 0.42 and 0.63% and between 96.7 and 103.1%, respectively; detection limits were between 0.017 and 0.038 g L^?1. The method enabled separation of these compounds.     

LC Determination of Icariside II in Rat Plasma and Tissues: Application to a Tissue Distribution Study

A sensitive and reliable reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) with ultraviolet (UV) detection has been developed and validated for the quantification of Icariside II in rat plasma and tissues using Fermononetin as the internal standard. Protein precipitation and liquid?Cliquid extraction were utilized for plasma and tissue sample preparation, respectively. The analysis was successfully carried out on an Agilent SB-C₁₈ column (5 ??m, 4.6 × 250 mm) with the implementation of the following conditions: a mobile phase of phosphoric acid solution (0.1%, v/w)?CAcetonitrile (55:45, v/v), a flow rate of 1 mL min^?1, a column temperature of 25 °C and a detection wavelength of 270 nm. Good linear relationships of calibration curves were obtained (r ² > 0.9906) over the investigated concentration range with plasma and tissue samples. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) and the limit of detection (LOD) were 0.1 and 0.02 ??g g^?1, respectively (for plasma sample, they were 0.05 and 0.1 ??g mL^?1, respectively). The developed method which was embodied with good precision, accuracy, recovery and stability was corroborated to satisfy the requirements for biomedical sample analysis. This method has been successfully applied to tissue distribution study of Icariside II in rats after a single intravenous dose at 12.5 mg kg^?1. Results suggested that Icariside II was distributed to rat tissues rapidly with greater initial concentrations in kidney, lung and liver. Moderate initial distributions were obtained in rat muscle, heart, bone, spleen and plasma. Low amount of Icariside II was detected in testes, and no Icariside II could be detected in the brain.     

Influence of Gas Chromatographic Parameters on Determination of Decabromodiphenyl Ether

In this paper, we present a study on the influence of chromatographic parameters on determination of decabromodiphenyl ether in an attempt to arrive at optimum conditions that enhance its detection in environmental samples. Gas chromatography?Celectron capture detector (GC?CECD) equipped with digital pressure and gas flow control, ZB-5 capillary column of 15 and 30 m length (0.25 mm id, 0.25 ??m d _f) are used. 1 ??L of 20 ng ??L^?1 commercial decabromodiphenyl ether mixture dissolved in toluene is injected into the column in splitless mode and each parameter varied. Injection temperature of 290 °C, initial and final oven temperatures of 90 °C and 300?C310 °C, respectively, 1.0 min splitless time and 2.5 mL min^?1 flow rate found to be optimum on 15 m column. Under optimum condition, entrance of BDE209 into the column is improved; retention time reduced by a factor of three and high repeatability with almost no degradation observed. Finally, the developed method is validated using standard reference material and applied to indoor dust samples. The average concentrations of decabromodiphenyl ether found from dust analysis in ng g^?1 are 118 ± 6.6, 103 ± 11 and 26 ± 1.6 in hotel, office and computer room, respectively.     

Alternative Green Preconcentration Approach Based on Ultrasound-Assisted Surfactant-Enhanced Emulsification Microextraction and HPLC for Determination of Benzimidazole Anthelmintics in Milk Formulae

An alternative green microextraction method based on ultrasound-assisted surfactant-enhanced emulsification microextraction (UASEME) using a low-density extraction solvent coupled with HPLC has been developed for preconcentration and determination of six benzimidazole anthelmintics, namely, oxfendazole, albendazole, mebendazole, flubendazole, fenbendazole, and niclosamide. The separation was achieved within 12 min, using an Inertsil^® C18 column (4.6 × 150 mm, 5.0 µm), with a gradient mobile phase of acetonitrile and 0.1 % (v/v) formic acid. Under the optimum UASEME conditions using Tergitol^® TMN-6 and 1-octanol as emulsifier and extraction solvent, respectively, linearity was in the range of 0.5–5,000 μg L^?1 with the coefficients of determination (R ²) ranging from 0.9959 to 0.9999. Enrichment factors were obtained up to 89, corresponding to limits of detection ranging from 0.50 to 6.00 µg L^?1. Intra-day (n = 8) and inter-day (n = 3 × 3) precisions were obtained with relative standard deviations for retention time and peak area of lower than 2 and 15 %, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine the target benzimidazoles in milk formulae.     

Determination of Veterinary Pharmaceuticals in Production Wastewater by HPTLC-Videodensitometry

An SPE-HPTLC method for simultaneous identification and quantification of seven pharmaceuticals in production wastewater was optimized and validated. The studied compounds were enrofloxacine, oxytetracycline, trimethoprim, sulfamethazine, sulfadiazine, sulfaguanidine and penicillin G/procaine. The method involves solid-phase extraction on hydrophilic-lipophilic balance cartridges with methanol and HPTLC analysis of extracts on CN modified chromatographic plates followed by videodensitometry at 254 and 366 nm. Optimization of chromatographic separation was performed by systematic variation of the mobile phase composition using genetic algorithm approach and the optimum mobile phase composition for TLC separation was 0.05 M H₂C₂O₄:methanol = 0.81:0.19 (v/v). Linearity of the method was demonstrated in the ranges from 1.5 to 15.0 μg L⁻¹ for enrofloxacine, 100–500 μg L⁻¹ for oxytetracycline, 150–600 μg L⁻¹ for trimethoprim, 300–1100 μg L⁻¹ for sulfaguanidine and 100–400 μg L⁻¹ for sulfamethazine, sulfadiazine and penicillin G/procaine with coefficients of determination higher than 0.991. Mean recoveries ranged from 74.6 to 117.1% and 55.1 to 108.0% for wellspring water and production wastewater, respectively. Only sulfaguanidine showed lower results. The described method has been applied to the determination of pharmaceuticals in wastewater samples from pharmaceutical industry.     

Determination of Trace Chloroanilines in Environmental Water Samples Using Hollow Fiber-Based Liquid Phase Microextraction

A liquid phase microextraction method using hollow fiber to support extraction solvent was developed for enrichment of trace level chloroanilines in environmental water samples. Target analytes, 2-chloroaniline, 3-chloroaniline, 2,3-dichloroaniline, 2,4-dichloroaniline, 3,4-dichloroaniline, and 3,5-dichloroaniline were determined using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector after extraction. Experimental conditions that affect extraction efficiency were investigated and optimized. The proposed method showed a wide linear range from lower ??g L^?1 to 1,000 ??g L^?1, low detection limits (??5.1 ??g L^?1), and reasonable relative standard deviations (RSDs < 13%). Feasibility of the method was evaluated by analyzing river water samples collected from the Hudson River and the East River in New York City.     

On-Line SPE Coupled with LC�CAPCI�CMS for the Determination of Trace Explosives in Water

In this study, a rapid, sensitive, and fully automated on-line solid phase extraction (SPE)?Cliquid chromatography (LC)?Cmass spectrometry (MS) method for the analysis of explosive residues in water, was systematically investigated. First, separation of explosive residues was achieved by reverse-phase chromatography using an XDB-C18 column in 30 min with an eluent containing 0.1% acetic acid, 5 mM ammonium acetate, and methanol. Secondly, atmospheric pressures chemical ionization (APCI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) interfaced with the MS detector were used to examine the explosive residues, indicating that APCI?CMS was more suitable than ESI?CMS for the detection of explosives. Thirdly, the conditions for on-line SPE, including solvent pH and sample injected volume, were optimized. The calibration curves obtained for all explosives studied were linear in the concentration range 0.5?C50 ??g L^?1. The detection limits of this method ranged from 0.05 to 0.5 ??g L^?1 when 4000 ??L of sample was on-line pre-concentrated on C18 enrichment column. The recoveries from lake waters spiked with explosive standard solution ranged from 90.5 to 108.0%. The proposed method is simple, fast, and could be applied successfully to the analysis of explosive residues in contaminated water without any further pretreatment.     

Simultaneous Estimation of Atorvastatin Calcium, Ramipril and Aspirin in Capsule Dosage Form by RP-LC

A simple, sensitive, precise and accurate reversed phase liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the simultaneous estimation of atorvastatin (AT) calcium, ramipril (RA) and aspirin (AS) from capsule dosage form. The method was developed using a Phenomenex Luna C₁₈ (250 mm, 4.6 mm i.d., 5 µm) column with a mobile phase consisting of 0.1%, orthophosphoric acid buffer:acetonitrile:methanol (45:50:5 v/v/v), pH 3.3, at a flow rate of 1 mL min^?1. Detection was carried out with ultra-violet detection at 210 nm. The retention times were about 12.19, 2.35, and 3.95 min for AT calcium, RA and AS, respectively. The developed method was validated for linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection, limit of quantitation and robustness. The linearity ranges were 1–6 µg mL^?1 for AT calcium, 0.5–3 µg mL^?1 for RA and 7.5–45 µg mL^?1 for AS with mean recoveries of 100.59 ± 0.68, 100.62 ± 0.83 and 100.49 ± 0.73% for AT calcium, RA and AS, respectively. Limit of detection obtained were 29.85 ng mL^?1 for AT calcium, 4.71 ng mL^?1 for RA and 85.13 ng mL^?1 for AS. Impurity of salicylic acid was found in capsule dosage form at the retention time of about 4.84 min. The proposed method can be used for the estimation of these drugs in combined dosage forms.