Continuous‐Bed Columns Containing Sol‐Gel Bonded Packing Materials for Capillary Electrochromatography

Sol‐gel bonded packing materials in continuous‐bed columns have been prepared for capillary electrochromatography (CEC). Three packing materials were investigated: small‐pore Spherisorb ODS1 (3 μm, 80 Å) with octadecyl as stationary phase, small‐pore mixed‐mode Spherisorb ODS/SCX (3 μm, 80 Å) with octadecyl and propyl sulfonic acid as stationary phases, and large‐pore Nucleosil ODS (7 μm, 1 400 Å) with octadecyl as stationary phase. The characteristics of these columns were compared in terms of electroosmotic flow, efficiency, inertness, and retention factors. In contrast to columns containing sol‐gel bonded ODS, columns containing sol‐gel bonded mixed‐mode ODS/SCX generated nearly pH independent electroosmotic flow (EOF) over pH 2–9. Columns containing sol‐gel bonded large‐pore ODS produced nearly three times lower reduced plate height than those containing small‐pore ODS. Efficiencies of 220,000 plates per meter and 175,000 plates per meter were obtained from columns containing sol‐gel bonded 7 μm, 1 400 Å ODS and columns containing sol‐gel bonded 3 μm, 80 Å ODS, respectively, which are among the highest reported efficiencies for continuous‐bed columns. In CEC, over one million plates per meter and pH independent EOF are expected from continuous‐bed columns containing sol‐gel bonded 1.5 μm particles with large pores and mixed‐mode stationary phases.     

Epoxide‐derived mixed‐mode chromatographic stationary phases for separation of active substances in fixed‐dose combination drugs

A method for the preparation of novel mixed‐mode reversed‐phase/strong cation exchange stationary phase for the separation of fixed‐dose combination drugs has been developed. An epoxysilane bonded silica prepared by vapor phase deposition was used as a starting material to produce diol, octadecyl, sulfonate, and mixed octadecyl/sulfonate groups bonded silica phases. The chemical structure and surface coverage of the functional groups on these synthesized phases were confirmed by fourier‐transform infrared and solid‐state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Alkylbenzene homologs, basic drugs, nucleobases and alkylaniline homologs were used as probes to demonstrate the reversed‐phase, ion exchange, hydrophilic interaction and mixed‐mode retention behaviors of these stationary phases. The octadecyl/sulfonate bonded silica exhibits pronounced mixed‐mode retention behavior and superior retentivity and selectivity for alkylaniline homologs. The mixed‐mode retention is affected by either ionic or solvent strength in the mobile phase, permiting optimization of a separation by fine tuning these parameters. The mixed‐mode stationary phase was applied to separate two fixed‐dose combination drugs: compound reserpine tablets and compound methoxyphenamine capsules. The results show that simultaneous separation of multiple substances in the compound dosage can be achieved on the mixed‐mode phase, which makes multi‐cycles of analysis for multiple components obsolete.     

Development and application of a new 25,27‐bis(l‐phenylalaninemethylester‐N‐carbonylmethoxy)‐26,28‐dihydroxy‐para‐tert‐butylcalix[4]arene stationary phase

A 25,27‐bis(l ‐phenylalaninemethylester‐N‐carbonylmethoxy)‐26,28‐dihydroxy‐ para‐tert‐butylcalix[4]arene‐bonded silica gel stationary phase was synthesized, structurally characterized and used for LC. Its separation mechanism was studied and compared with octadecyl‐bonded stationary phase, as well as our previously prepared para‐tert‐butylcalix[4]arene‐1,2‐crown‐4 stationary phase. Meanwhile, the chromatographic behaviors were investigated by using polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, monosubstituted benzenes, anilines, phenols, Tanaka tests solutes, fluoroquinolones, and flavonoids as probes. Mechanisms involved in the chromatographic separation included hydrophobic, π‐π and π‐electron transfer, hydrogen bonding, and inclusion interactions. Moreover, the column was successfully employed for the analysis of the illegal additive of melamine in milk product.     

Solid‐phase extraction using chloropropyl functionalized sol–gel hybrid sorbent for simultaneous determination of organophosphorus pesticides in selected fruit samples

A new sol–gel hybrid methyltrimethoxysilane‐chloropropyltriethoxysilane was prepared as sorbent for solid‐phase extraction. The extraction efficiency of the prepared sol–gel hybrid methyltrimethoxysilane‐chloropropyltriethoxysilane was assessed by using three selected organophosphorus pesticides, namely, chlorpyrifos, profenofos, and malathion. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was used for detection of organophosphorus pesticides. Several vital parameters were optimized to identify the best extraction conditions. Under the optimum extraction conditions, solid‐phase extraction‐methyltrimethoxysilane‐chloropropyltriethoxysilane method showed good linearity range (0.05‐1 μg/mL) with coefficient of determination more than 0.995. The limits of detection obtained were in the range of 0.01–0.07 μg/mL and limits of quantification ranging from 0.03 to 0.21 μg/mL. The limits of detection obtained for the developed method were 2.3–6.5× lower than the limits of detection of commercial octadecyl silica sorbent. Real samples analysis was carried out by applying the developed method on red apple and purple grape samples. The developed method exhibited good recoveries (88.33–120.7%) with low relative standard deviations ranging from 1.6 to 3.3% compared to commercial octadecyl silica sorbent, which showed acceptable recoveries (70.3–100.2%) and relative standard deviations (6.3–8.8%). The solid‐phase extraction‐methyltrimethoxysilane‐chloropropyltriethoxysilane method is presented as an alternative extraction method for determination of organophosphorus pesticides.     

Preparative isolation of flavonoid glycosides from Sphaerophysa salsula using hydrophilic interaction solid‐phase extraction coupled with two‐dimensional preparative liquid chromatography

An offline preparative two‐dimensional reversed‐phase liquid chromatography/hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with hydrophilic interaction solid‐phase extraction method was developed for the preparative isolation of flavonoid glycosides from a crude sample of Sphaerophysa salsula . First, the non‐flavonoids were removed using an XAmide solid‐phase extraction cartridge. Based on the separation results of three different chromatographic stationary phases, the first‐dimensional preparation was performed on an XAqua C18 prep column, and 15 fractions were obtained from the 5.2 g target sample. Then, three representative fractions were selected for additional purification on an XAmide preparative column to further isolate the flavonoid glycosides. In all, eight flavonoid glycosides were isolated in purities over 97%. The results demonstrated that the two‐dimensional liquid chromatography method used in this study was effective for the preparative separation of flavonoid glycosides from Sphaerophysa salsula . Additionally, this method showed great potential for the separation of flavonoid glycosides from other plant materials.     

Development and evaluation of microwave‐assisted and ultrasound‐assisted methods based on a quick,easy, cheap,effective, rugged,and safe sample preparation approach for the determination of bisphenol analogues in serum and sediments

Microwave‐ and ultrasound‐assisted methods based on a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe sample preparation approach followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry were developed for the simultaneous determination of eight bisphenol analogues in serum and sediment. The developed methods provided satisfactory extraction efficiency for the energy provided by microwaves and ultrasound. Compositions of commercial sorbents (primary secondary amine, MgSO₄, octadecyl‐modified silica, and graphitized carbon black) were evaluated. The ultrasound‐assisted method was suited for serum using primary secondary amine, MgSO₄, and octadecyl‐modified silica as sorbents and a mixture of hexane and ethyl acetate as extraction solvent. The microwave‐assisted method worked better for sediment with tetrahydrofuran and methanol as solvents and primary secondary amine, MgSO₄, octadecyl‐modified silica, and graphitized carbon black as sorbents. Other experimental parameters, such as extraction temperature and time, were also optimized. The inter‐ and intraday relative standard deviations ranged from 2.7 to 5.5%. The limits of detection were between 0.1 and 1.0 ng/mL for serum and between 0.1 and 0.5 ng/g dry weight for sediment. The proposed methods were successfully applied to seven sediment and 20 human serum samples. The results showed that the developed methods were practical for the analysis and biomonitoring of bisphenols in sera and sediment.     

l‐Cysteine‐modified silver‐functionalized silica‐based material as an efficient solid‐phase extraction adsorbent for the determination of bisphenol A

A new silver‐functionalized silica‐based material with a core–shell structure based on silver nanoparticle‐coated silica spheres was synthesized, and silver nanoparticles were modified using strongly bound l‐ cysteine. l‐ Cysteine‐silver@silica was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy. Then, a solid‐phase extraction method based on l‐ cysteine‐silver@silica was developed and successfully used for bisphenol A determination prior to HPLC analysis. The results showed that the l‐ cysteine‐silver@silica as an adsorbent exhibited good enrichment capability for bisphenol A, and the maximum adsorption saturation was 20.93 mg/g. Moreover, a short adsorption equilibrium time was obtained due to the presence of silver nanoparticles on the surface of the silica. The extraction efficiencies were then optimized by varying the eluents and pH. Under the optimized conditions, good linearity for bisphenol A was obtained in the range from 0.4 to 4.0 μM (R² > 0.99) with a low limit of detection (1.15 ng/mL). The spiked recoveries from tap water and milk samples were satisfactory (85–102%) with relative standard deviations below 5.2% (n = 3), which indicated that the method was suitable for the analysis of bisphenol A in complex samples.     

Selective Pre-concentration and Solid Phase Extraction of Mercury（Ⅱ） from Natural Water by Silica Gel-loaded （E）-N-（1-Thien-2＇-ylethylidene）-1,2-phenylenediamine Phase

Silica gel-loaded （E）-N-（1-thien-2＇-ylethylidene）-1,2-phenylenediamine （TEPDA） phase was synthesized based on physical adsorption approaches. The stability of a chemically modified TEPDA especially in concentrated hydrochloric acid that was then used as a recycling and preconcentration reagent allowed the further uses of silica gel-loaded immobilized TEPDA phase. The application of this silica gel-loaded phase to sorption of a series of metal ions was performed by using different controlling factors such as the pH of the metal ion solution and the equilibration shaking time by the static technique. This difference was interpreted on the basis of selectivity incorporated in these sulfur containing silica gel-loaded TEPDA phases. Hg（Ⅱ） was found to exhibit the highest affinity towards extraction by these silica gel-loaded TEPDA phases. The pronounced selectivity was also confirmed by the determined distribution coefficients （Kd） of all the metal ions, showing the highest value reported for mercury（Ⅱ） extraction by the silica gel immobilized TEPDA phase. The potential applications of the silica gel immobilized TEPDA phase to selective extraction of mercury（Ⅱ） from aqueous solution were successfully accomplished and preconcentration of low concentration of Hg（Ⅱ） （30 pg·mL^-1） from natural tap water with a preconcentration factor of 200 for Hg（Ⅱ） off-line analysis was conducted by cold vapor atomic absorption analysis.     

Simultaneous preconcentration of polar and non‐polar organophosphorus pesticides from water samples by using a new sorbent based on mesoporous silica

A new mesoporous silica based on the sol–gel material cyanopropyltriethoxysilane (CNPrTEOS) was successfully synthesized by the hydrolysis and condensation of CNPrTEOS in the presence of ammonium solution as catalyst and methanol as solvent. It was used as a solid‐phase extraction sorbent for the simultaneous extraction of three organophosphorus pesticides, namely, polar dicrotophos and non‐polar diazinon and chlorpyrifos. Analysis was performed using high‐performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. CNPrTEOS was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, field‐emission scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen gas adsorption. The surface area and average pore diameter of the optimum sol–gel CNPrTEOS are 379 m²/g and 4.7 nm (mesoporous), respectively. The proposed solid‐phase extraction based on CNPrTEOS exhibited good linearity in the range of 0.8–100 μg/L, satisfactory precision (1.15–3.82%), high enrichment factor (800) and low limit of detection (0.072–0.091 μg/L). The limits of detection obtained using the proposed solid‐phase extraction method are well below the maximum residue limit set by European Union and are also lower (13.6–48.5×) than that obtained by using a commercial CN‐SPE cartridge (0.98–4.41 μg/L). The new mesoporous sol–gel CNPrTEOS showed promising alternative as SPE sorbent material for the simultaneous extraction of polar and non‐polar organophosphorus pesticides.     

Improvement of UV spectrophotometry methodology for the determination of total polycyclic aromatic compounds in contaminated soils

Solid phase extraction (SPE) and UV spectrophotometry is used for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils. A combination of aminopropyl and octadecyl bonded silica in a double SPE cartridge system has been optimized and validated using a certified reference material. The quantification is carried out after a principal component regression. The calibration has been done on a set of 40 samples of contaminated soils and has been optimized by using cross-validation. The 3σ detection limit was found to be 4.5 mg kg⁻¹.     

Synthesis of 2‐Aryl‐1‐arylmethyl‐1H‐1,3‐benzimidazole Derivatives Using Silica‐bonded Propyl‐S‐sulfonic Acid as Recyclable Solid Acid Catalyst

A highly selective synthesis of 2‐aryl‐1‐arylmethyl‐1H‐1,3‐benzimidazoles from the reaction of o‐phenylenediamine and aromatic aldehydes in the presence of silica‐bonded propyl‐S‐sulfonic acid (SBSSA) at 80°C in water in good to excellent yields was developed.     

Approach to the study of flavone di‐C‐glycosides by high performance liquid chromatography‐tandem ion trap mass spectrometry and its application to characterization of flavonoid composition in Viola yedoensis

The mass spectrometric (MS) analysis of flavone di‐C‐glycosides has been a difficult task due to pure standards being unavailable commercially and to that the reported relative intensities of some diagnostic ions varied with MS instruments. In this study, five flavone di‐C‐glycoside standards from Viola yedoensis have been systematically studied by high performance liquid chromatography‐electrospray ionization‐tandem ion trap mass spectrometry (HPLC‐ESI‐IT‐MSⁿ) in the negative ion mode to analyze their fragmentation patterns. A new MS² and MS³ hierarchical fragmentation for the identification of the sugar nature (hexoses or pentoses) at C‐6 and C‐8 is presented based on previously established rules of fragmentation. Here, for the first time, we report that the MS² and MS³ structure‐diagnostic fragments about the glycosylation types and positions are highly dependent on the configuration of the sugars at C‐6 and C‐8. The base peak (^0,2X₁^0,2X₂^? ion) in MS³ spectra of di‐C‐glycosides could be used as a diagnostic ion for flavone aglycones. These newly proposed fragmentation behaviors have been successfully applied to the characterization of flavone di‐C‐glycosides found in V. yedoensis. A total of 35 flavonoid glycosides, including 1 flavone mono‐C‐hexoside, 2 flavone 6,8‐di‐C‐hexosides, 11 flavone 6,8‐di‐C‐pentosides, 13 flavone 6,8‐C‐hexosyl‐C‐pentosides, 5 acetylated flavone C‐glycosides and 3 flavonol O‐glycosides, were identified or tentatively identified on the base of their UV profiles, MS and MSⁿ (n = 5) data, or by comparing with reference substances. Among these, the acetylated flavone C‐glycosides were reported from V. yedoensis for the first time. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Magnetic octadecyl‐based matrix solid‐phase dispersion coupled with gas chromatography with mass spectrometry in a proof‐of‐concept determination of multi‐class pesticide residues in carrots

A novel procedure is put forward based on the combination of the well‐established matrix solid‐phase dispersion and the magnetic and sorption properties of magnetic octadecyl in the presence of n‐octanol and was employed in a proof‐of‐concept sample preparation and determination of several classes of pesticide residues in carrots. The procedure does not require the transfer of blend to cartridge and subsequent packing, nor any co‐sorbent for extract clean up. The hydrophobic magnetic nanoparticles utilized as a sorbent, can be retrieved by n‐octanol under the application of a magnetic field due to hydrophobic interactions. Elution of pesticide residues is then carried out with an organic solvent. A total of 26 pesticides were included in this procedure and the target compounds were analyzed using gas chromatography with mass spectrometry in the selective ion monitoring mode. The average extraction recoveries obtained from carrot samples fortified at three different concentrations (20, 50, and 500 μg/kg) were 77–107%. The estimated limits of quantitation for most target analytes were in the low μg/kg level. The study demonstrates that the proposed extraction procedure is simple and effective, avoiding a clean‐up step for the sample preparation of vegetable.     

Simple and fast analysis of tetrabromobisphenol A,hexabromocyclododecane isomers,and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in serum using solid‐phase extraction or QuEChERS extraction followed by tandem mass spectrometry coupled to HPLC and GC

Two simplified sample preparation procedures for simultaneous extraction and clean‐up of tetrabromobisphenol A, α‐, β‐, and γ‐hexabromocyclododecane and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in human serum were developed and validated. The first procedure was based on solid‐phase extraction. Sample extraction, purification, and lipid removal were carried out directly on an Oasis HLB cartridge. The second procedure was a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe‐based approach using octadecyl‐modified silica particles as a sorbent. After sample extraction and cleanup, tetrabromobisphenol A/hexabromocyclododecane was separated from polybrominated diphenyl ethers by using a Si‐based cartridge. Tetrabromobisphenol A and hexabromocyclododecane were then detected by high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, while polybrominated diphenyl ethers were detected by gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The results of the spike recovery test using fetal bovine serum showed that the average recoveries of the analytes ranged from 87.3 to 115.3% with relative standard deviations equal to or lower than 13.4 %. Limits of detection of the analytes were in the range of 0.4–19 pg/mL except for decabromodiphenyl ether. The developed method was successfully applied to routine analysis of human serum samples from occupational workers and the general population. Extremely high serum polybrominated diphenyl ethers levels up to 3.32 × 10⁴ ng/g lipid weight were found in occupational workers.     

Dispersive Micro Solid‐phase Extraction Coupled with Ultrasound‐assisted Solvent Desorption for Determination of Synthetic Polycyclic and Nitro‐aromatic Musks in Aqueous Samples

An optimized method for the determination of five synthetic polycyclic: celestolide (ADBI), phantolide (AHMI), traseolide (ATII), galaxolide (HHCB), tonalide (AHTN), and two nitro‐aromatic musks: musk xylene (MX) and musk ketone (MK), in water samples is described. The method involves a dispersive micro solid‐phase extraction (D‐μ‐SPE) plus ultrasound‐assisted solvent desorption (UASD) prior to their determination by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) using the selected ion storage (SIS) mode. Factors affecting the extraction efficiency of the target analytes from water samples and ultrasound‐assisted solvent desorption were optimized by a Box‐Behnken design method. The optimal extraction conditions involved immersing 10.1 mg of a typical octadecyl (C18) bonded silica adsorbent (i.e., ENVI‐18) in a 50 mL water sample. After 10.4 min of extraction by vigorously shaking, the adsorbent was collected and dried on a filter, and the target musks were desorbed by ultrasound‐assisted for 38 sec with n‐hexane (200 μL) as the desorption solvent. A 10 μL aliquot was then directly determined by large‐volume injection GC‐MS. The limits of quantitation (LOQs) were 1.2 to 5 ng/L. The precision for these analytes, as indicated by relative standard deviations (RSDs), were less than 11% for both intra‐ and inter‐day analysis. Accuracy, expressed as the mean extraction recovery, was between 74% and 92%. A preliminary analysis of the effluents from municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWTP) and river water samples revealed that HHCB and AHTN were the two most commonly detected synthetic musks; their concentration were determined to range from 88 to 690 ng/L for effluent samples, and 5 to 320 ng/L for river water samples. This is a simple, low cost, effective, and eco‐friendly analytical method.     

Separation and concentration of sulfonylurea herbicides in milk by ionic‐liquid‐based foam flotation solid‐phase extraction

The ultrasound‐assisted ionic liquid foam flotation solid‐phase extraction of sulfonylurea herbicides in milk was developed and validated. The proteins and lipids were isolated from the sample matrix by adding salt and adjusting the pH value. The target analytes eluted from the solid‐phase extraction cartridge were determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography. Some experimental parameters, including the pH value of sample solution, amount of NaCl, ionic liquid type, extraction time, flow rate of carrier gas, flotation time, and solid‐phase extraction cartridge type were investigated and optimized. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the limits of detection for metsulfuron, pyrazosulfuron, chlorimuron‐ethyl, and nicosulfuron were 1.3, 0.6, 0.7, and 1.1 μg/L, respectively. When the present method was applied to the analysis of milk samples the recoveries of the analytes ranged from 84.3 to 105.2% and relative standard deviations were >5.7%.     

Preparation of five high‐purity iridoid glycosides from Gardenia jasminoides Eills by molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction integrated with preparative liquid chromatography

Five iridoid glycosides were prepared using molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction combined with preparative high‐performance liquid chromatography. Hydrophilic molecularly imprinted polymers were synthesized using α‐1‐allyl‐2‐N‐acetyl glucosamine, which introduced an abundance of hydrophilic groups into the polymers. Using molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction as the sample pretreatment procedure, five iridoid glycosides, gardenoside, geniposide, shanzhiside, geniposidic acid, and genipin‐1‐O‐gentiobioside, were selectively enriched from Gardenia fructus extracts. Preparative high‐performance liquid chromatography then provided iridoid glycosides with a purity >98%. The structures were elucidated by using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, optical rotation and melting point measurements, and mass spectrometry. The results demonstrate that molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction combined with preparative high‐performance liquid chromatography was an efficient, rapid, and economical method for the preparation of bioactive compounds from natural products.     

Comprehensive characterization of C‐glycosyl flavones in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) germ using UPLC‐PDA‐ESI/HRMSn and mass defect filtering

A comprehensive characterization of C‐glycosyl flavones in wheat germ has been conducted using multi‐stage high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMSⁿ) in combination with a mass defect filtering (MDF) technique. MDF performed the initial search of raw data with defined C‐glycosyl flavone mass windows and mass defect windows to generate the noise‐reduced data focusing on targeted flavonoids. The high specificity of the exact mass measurement permits the unambiguous discrimination of acyl groups (nominal masses of 146, 162 and 176.) from sugar moieties (rhamnose, glucose or galactose and glucuronic acid). A total of 72 flavone C‐glycosyl derivatives, including 2 mono‐C‐glycosides, 34 di‐C‐glycosides, 15 tri‐glycosides, 14 acyl di‐C‐glycosides and 7 acyl tri‐glycosides, were characterized in wheat germ, some of which were considered to be important marker compounds for differentiation of whole grain and refined wheat products. The 7 acylated mono‐O‐glycosyl‐di‐C‐glycosyl flavones and some acylated di‐C‐glycosyl flavones are reported in wheat for the first time. The frequent occurrence of numerous isomers is a remarkable feature of wheat germ flavones. Both UV and mass spectra are needed to maximize the structure information obtained for data interpretation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of adsorption and desorption steps in the solid‐phase extraction of explosives using carbon/silica gel nanocomposites

New series of carbon/silica gel nanocomposites, carbosils, prepared by the carbonization of starch bound to silica gel, and carbosils additionally silylated with octadecyldimethylchlorosilane were synthesized. These materials were applied as adsorbents in the solid‐phase extraction of explosive nitrate esters and nitroaromatics from aqueous solutions. The adsorption and desorption steps were evaluated separately. It was found that both the molecular properties of explosives (dipole moments, orbital energies, solvation effects) and textural properties influenced by carbon deposits or octadecyl moieties have a large impact on the recovery rates. It was shown that the composites with moderate content of carbon deposits or with the highest amounts of carbon deposits and additionally silylated can be used as materials tailored for extraction of explosives from the aqueous solutions.