Separation and characterization of humic acids from Antarctica by capillary electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Inclusion complexes of humic acids with cyclodextrins

A new capillary electrophoresis procedure based on micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography for the separation of humic acids (HAs) isolated from Antarctica soil was developed. The HAs were separated and characterized using a background electrolyte containing 0.09 M borate+0.09 M Tris+0.001 M EDTA (BTE) of pH 8.3, modified with alpha-, beta-, or gamma-cyclodextrins (CDs) and sodium dodecyl sulfate. It was found that from alkaline solution of HAs in the presence of CDs, the HAs are not completely precipitated with a strong acid and a certain part (some fractions) remains soluble. Mass spectrometry shows that HAs contain 15-25 simple low-Mr compounds and several families of compounds with similar structure (m/z approximately 800-1200). Comparison of HA analysis from Antarctica soil with those of soil HAs from the American continent show a high similarity between the samples and confirm several identical compounds and some with very similar structural units.     

Comparative study for differentiation of aquatic humic-type organic constituents by capillary zone electrophoresis using polyvinyl alcohol-coated capillary

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with UV detection (254 nm) was applied to characterize aquatic dissolved humic matter (DHM) from different environmental sources (lake, river and sea waters, in all 15 different samples). A series of separation examples of DHMs using a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-coated silica open tubular capillary were carried out in a phosphate buffer (40 mM) as a background electrolyte at neutral acidity (pH 6.8). The separative power of electropherograms was reasonable and the reproducibility was above the mark. Each electropherogram was characteristic of the corresponding humic sample. Special functional fulvic and humic acids or their overall mixtures separated with XAD, DAX and DEAE sorbing solids as well as the original dissolved organic matter (DOM) were nicely differentiated according to their environmental sources. The PVA coating of open tubular silica capillaries seems to be very potential in electrophoretic characterization and separation of different humic solutes at neutral acidities with low sample concentrations thus permitting a workable technique, in a growing series of CZE studies, for better compared results from different studies.     

Behavior of Humic Acid as a Micellar Phase in Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography (MEKC)

The possibility of humic acids acting as micellar phase in micellar electrokinetic chromatography was evaluated. We investigated the separation of naphthalene in capillary electrophoresis using various samples of humic acids as micellar phase under different pH conditions, concentrations of humic acid, and temperature. The humic acid samples studied were from different origins including peat, vermicompost and a commercial sample acquired from Aldrich. Methanol was used as a marker for the electroosmotic flow. The results indicate that the formation of micelle depends on the number and nature of the hydrophobic association sites in an aqueous humic acid solution and on the origin and concentration of the humic acid at a defined pH. At lower pH values, the possibility of the humic acid molecule forming pseudomicelles increases due to a combination of neutralized and dissociated charged sites.     

Capillary zone electrophoresis of humic acids from the American continent

A multicomponent background electrolyte (BGE) was developed and its composition optimized using artificial neural networks (ANN). The optimal BGE composition was found to be 90 mM boric acid, 115 mM Tris, and 0.75 mM EDTA (pH 8.4). A separation voltage of 20 kV, 20 degrees C and detection at 210 nm were used. The method was applied to characterize several humic acids originating from various countries of the American continent: soil (Argentina), peat (Brazil), leonardite (Guatemala and Mexico) and coal (United States). Comparison with humic acids of International Humic Substances Society (IHSS) standard samples was also done. Well reproducible electropherograms showing a relatively high number of peaks were obtained. Characterization of the samples by elemental analysis and UV spectrophotometry was also done. In spite of the very different origins, the similarities between humic acids are high and by matrix assisted desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF)-mass spectrometry it was shown that most of the m/z patterns are the same in all humic acids. This means that humic acids of different origin have the same structural units or that they contain the same components.     

Determination of Herbicides of the Chlorophenoxycarboxylic Acid Type in Natural and Drinking Water by Capillary Zone Electrophoresis

The method of capillary electrophoresis was applied to separate and quantitatively determine herbicides belonging to the class of chlorophenoxycarboxylic acids: 2,4-dichlorophenoxyoleic, 2,4-dichlorophenoxypropionic, 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic, and phenoxyacetic, and the final product of their decomposition in an aqueous medium of 2,4-dichlorophenol. The influence exerted by - and - cyclodextrin on the selectivity of the separation system under study was analyzed. The hindering effect of humic acids on the separation and determination of phenoxycarboxylic acids by capillary electrophoresis was assessed.     

Characterization of anacardic acids by micellar electrokinetic chromatography and mass spectrometry

A possibility of using capillary electrophoresis for separation of anacardic acids (6-alkylsalicylic acids) has been studied. Conventional micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) in non-coated fused silica capillaries and reversed-flow micellar electrokinetic chromatography (RF-MEKC) in capillaries coated with polydimethylacrylamide was applied for separation of anacardic acids extracted from cashew nuts. Influence of the composition of background electrolyte on the resolution of anacardic acid isomers was evaluated. Separations were performed using sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) micelles and mixed micelles of SDS and polyoxyethylene lauryl ether as a pseudostationary phase. To further improve the separation in RF-MEKC, beta-cyclodextrin and a dual cyclodextrin system of beta-cyclodextrin with heptakis-6-sulphato-beta-cyclodextrin was added to the working electrolyte. Best separation of anacardic acids were achieved in the polydimethylacrylamide-coated capillary using 10 mM phosphate background electrolyte pH 6.5 with addition of 1 M urea, 20% acetonitrile, 10 mM of beta-cyclodextrin and 1 mM of heptakis-6-sulfo-beta-cyclodextrin. Mass spectrometry was used for the identification of anacardic acids in the extract from cashew nuts in single and tandem mode using Q-TOF instrument. Nine anacardic acids were identified in the extract form the cashew nuts.     

Simultaneous separation of the stereoisomers of 1-amino-2-hydroxy and 2-amino-1-hydroxypropane phosphonic acids by stereoselective capillary electrophoresis employing a quinine carbamate type chiral selector

A stereoselective nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (CE) method utilizing O-(tert-butylcarbamoyl) quinine as chiral ion-pair agent and additive to the non aqueous background electrolyte was evaluated for the simultaneous separation of the enantiomers and diastereomers of 1 -amino-2-hydroxypropane phosphonic acid besides the corresponding beta-aminophosphonic acid analogs, the stereoisomers of 2-amino-1-hydroxypropane phosphonic acid, in a single run. The separations have been carried out using the partial filling technique to avoid strong background signal from the quinine selector. It conveniently allowed the baseline separation of all eight components of interest (alpha- as well as beta-aminophosphonic acids) as N-2,4-dinitrophenyl derivatives in a single run. Moreover, the absolute configurations of all eight peaks were identified. Compared to the quinine carbamate selector, the corresponding 'pseudo-enantiomeric' O-(tert-butylcarbamoyl) quinidine selector exhibited reserved elution order and nearly identical resolutions. The proposed CE method turned out to be advantageous over stereoselective high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a quinine carbamate type stationary phase, which showed high enantioselectivity, but failed to simultaneously separate all eight components.     

Capillary electrochromatographic analysis of aliphatic mono- and polycarboxylic acids

The parameters influencing the electrochromatographic separation of aliphatic organic acids in a capillary column with a wall-coated macrocyclic polyamine have been studied. Indirect detection using chromate, pyromellitate, trimellitate, o-phthalate, benzoate and acetate as background electrolytes has been tested. A complete separation of polyprotic acids could be achieved with pyromellitate buffer (7.5 mM, pH 6.5), and satisfactory results for the simultaneous separation of monoprotic acids and polyprotic acids were found using a capillary column of 70 cm (50 cm effective length)x75 microm inner diameter, electrokinetic injection (-10 kV, 10 s), benzoate buffer (6 mM, pH 4.6), separation voltage of -10 kV, and detection at 220 nm. For the separation of the geometric isomers fumarate and maleate, acetate buffer was found the best choice among the background electrolytes tested. The method so established has been applied to the determination of organic acids in soy sauce, brandy, lemon juice, spinach juice and cigarette. From the retention behavior, it was found that the separation mechanism on the bonded phase was influenced by the macrocyclic effect, electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, and anion exchange, in addition to the differences in electrophoretic mobility.     

Capillary electrophoresis of methyl-substituted phenols in acetonitrile

The separation of mono- and dimethylphenols by capillary electrophoresis in pure acetonitrile was investigated. In acetonitrile, uncharged phenols interact with background electrolyte anions forming negatively charged complexes, which can be separated from each other by capillary electrophoresis. The background electrolyte anions tested were acetate, bromide and chloride. The calculated formation constants for phenol–anion complexes were highest with acetate and smallest with bromide. Complex formation was found to be sensitive to traces of water in the background electrolyte. The separation of methylphenols was also carried out in acetonitrile at high pH using background electrolytes prepared from diprotic acids and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide. At high pH the phenols were partly dissociated, providing an additional mechanism for the separation. All methylphenols were separated with the use of malonate background electrolyte. However, this approach was prone to interference from methanol resulting from the tetrabutylammonium hydroxide solution.     

卤代乙酸及其结构相近化合物的高效毛细管电泳分离

氟、氯、溴等卤代乙酸是结构非常相近的离子型化合物,对它们的分离测定比较困难。用高效毛细管电泳法在碱性或酸性缓冲液条件下可将它们分离。在酸性缓冲液条件下,可提高有机酸分离的选择性。较低的操作电压有利于提高阴离子的分离度,而改变温度对分离度的影响不大。     

Selected applications of cyclodextrin selectors in capillary electrophoresis.

Through the use of alpha-, beta-, gamma- and heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin as stereospecific selectors or electrolyte modifiers, both in capillary zone electrophoresis and isotachophoresis, selected model isomeric compounds (including optical isomers) were resolved. Soluble alkylhydroxyalkylcellulose derivatives were further added to the cyclodextrin-modified background electrolytes under study. Their presence was found to be essential, as demonstrated by improvements in both enantioselectivity and separation efficiency. The results obtained in both electrophoretic modes, under optimized conditions, are compared and discussed.     

On the capillary gas chromatographic separation of enantiomers of N-trifluoroacetyl-O-alkyl esters of selected amino acids on 2,3-di-O-pentyl-6-O-acyl cyclodextrins

In this work, the separation of enantiomers of N-TFA-O-alkyl amino acids on the 2,3-di-O-pentyl-6-O-acyl alpha-, beta- and gamma-cyclodextrin stationary phases has been studied. The influence of structure differences in the alkyl substituents bonded to the stereogenic carbon atom (R1), as well as in the ester group (R2) of the selected amino acid derivatives, and the selectivity of modified alpha-, beta- and gamma-cyclodextrin phases in gas chromatographic separation of derivatized amino acid enantiomers was studied in detail. A model set of N-TFA-alkyl esters of four amino acids was separated on five columns. The separation of enantiomers was evaluated in terms of the interactions of the alkyl substituents bonded to the stereogenic carbon (R1) and/or the ester group (R2) of the N-TFA-O-alkyl amino acid derivatives as well as the nature of the 3-O-acyl group in the 2,6-di-O-pentyl-3-O-acyl alpha-, beta- and gamma-cyclodextrins. It was shown that the variation in the enantiomeric separation with temperature and the retention order of enantiomers on a given cyclodextrin capillary column depends both on the nature of the bonded R1 and R2 alkyl groups. It was found that the temperature dependencies of selectivity factors, ln alpha on 1/T, were mostly non-linear. The thermodynamic data [delta(deltaS) and [delta(deltaH)] which characterize the chiral recognition were used to gain more insight into the mechanistic aspects of enantio separation of the N-TFA-O-alkyl amino acid derivatives on 2,6-di-O-pentyl-3-O-acyl-alpha-, beta- and gamma-cyclodextrins.     

Separation of aminoalkanephosphonic acid enantiomers by indirect UV detection capillary electrophoresis with application of cyclodextrins

Indirect UV detection capillary electrophoresis (CE) was used for the separation of aminoalkanephosphonic acid (AP) enantiomers by applying commercially available cyclodextrins as chiral discriminators. The results show that the separation of the enantiomers depends on pH of the background electrolyte, the molar ratio of cyclodextrin to aminophosphonic acid, and on the type of the applied chiral selector. Optimization of process conditions allowed enantiomeric baseline separation or partial separation of 12 out of 14 alpha-aminophosphonic acids studied. This type of CE might therefore be successfully used for routine determination of enantiomeric purity of aminophosphonic acids.     

Open tubular capillary electrochromatography of underivatized amino acids using Rh(III) tetrakis(phenoxyphenyl)porphyrinate as wall modifier

The separation of 17 “common” underivatized amino acids was attempted by open tubular capillary electrochromatography (OT-CEC) in fused-silica capillaries coated with Rh(III) tetrakis(phenoxyphenyl)porphyrinate (Rh(III)TPP(m-OPh)₄OAc) using sodium phosphate and Tris–phosphate buffers as background electrolytes (BGEs). The OT-CEC separation of amino acids was compared with that obtained by capillary zone electrophoresis in bare fused-silica capillaries using the same BGEs. The amino acids were not derivatized and the UV-absorption detection was set at 200 nm. Depending on the experimental conditions at least 15 amino acids were separated. The best separations were obtained in a Rh(III)TPP(m-OPh)₄OAc-coated capillary in 50 mM Tris–100 mM phosphate buffer at pH 2.25. Separation of the critical triplet Val–Ile–Leu was always at least indicated being better at higher BGE concentrations. Regarding the sensitivity of the method, lower concentration limits of detection (LODs) in the coated capillary were obtained for Thr, Gly, Tyr, and Val; the other amino acids exhibited lower LODs in the uncoated capillary. The separation of acidic amino acids was not achieved.     

Capillary electrophoretic separation of humic substances using hydroxyethyl cellulose as a buffer additive and its application to characterization of humic substances in a river water sample

We have developed a concise tool for the investigation of the transition of humic substances in environmental water. The separation of water-soluble humic substances was achieved rapidly and effectively by capillary electrophoresis using a polyacrylamide-coated capillary and a phosphate electrophoretic buffer solution (pH 7.0) containing hydroxyethyl cellulose. The separation mechanism was assessed using the ultrafiltration technique. The effect of the complexation of humic substances with metal ions was studied by using the proposed method. When Fe(III) ions or EDTA was added to the sample solution of fulvic acid, a distinct change in the electropherogram pattern based on the conformational change of fulvic acid was observed. The successful application of the proposed method to the characterization of humic substances in a river water sample was also demonstrated. Figure Addition of Fe(III) ions or EDTA to a solution containing fulvic acid (FA) results in a distinct change in the electropherogram pattern, which reflects the conformational change of FA: this forms the basis for the characterization of humic substances in river water samples     

毛细管电动色谱带电环糊精拆分N-FMOC氨基酸对映体

 将负电性磺丁基 -β -环糊精手性添加剂应用于毛细管电泳氨基酸对映体的拆分研究中 ,对 8种氨基酸对映体与 9-芴甲基氧基甲酰氯 (FMOC-Cl)生成的衍生物进行了分离 ,其中 5种得到了基线分离。考察了背景电解质 p H值及磺丁基 -β -环糊精的浓度对 N-FMOC氨基酸对映体拆分的影响。     

Using capillary electrophoresis for the determination of organic acids in Port wine

The simultaneous separation and determination of organic acids in several samples of white and red Port wines was performed by capillary zone electrophoresis using indirect UV detection with 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid as a background electrolyte buffer. Operational parameters like migration time, temperature, voltage and capillary length were optimized. Sixteen samples of red wine and four samples of white wine were used to analyze for tartaric, malic, lactic, succinic and acetic acids using glyoxylic acid as the internal standard. The method is rapid, sensitive and quantitative, and time-consuming sample preparation, such as solid-phase extraction or liquid-liquid extraction procedure, is not required.     

Indirect photometric detection of polyamines in biological samples separated by high-performance capillary electrophoresis.

A rapid separation of polyamines and some related amino acids in cultured tumor cells by high-performance capillary zone electrophoresis with indirect photometric detection is demonstrated. 60 cm x 75 microns I.D. fused-silica capillary was used for the separation and quinine sulfate was used as a background electrolyte (BGE). Several polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine), amino acids (lysine, arginine, histidine) and simple cations (K+, Na+) were easily separated in less than 10 min. Using the indirect photometric detection method, femtomole amounts of polyamines extracted from the tumor cells were detected from nanoliter injection volumes, and the signal response was linear over two orders of magnitude.     

Separation and Determination of Amino Acids by CE Using 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium-Based Ionic Liquid as Background Electrolyte

Capillary electrophoresis using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate as background electrolyte for the separation and determination of 11 amino acids was studied. Several parameters, such as ionic liquid concentration, pH of background electrolyte and applied voltage, were optimized. Amino acids were derived with Sanger’s reagent (2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene) and the detection was performed by an ultraviolet absorption detector at 360 nm. Under selected conditions, 11 amino acids were completely separated within 16 min. The RSD values of integrated areas and migration times are <3.03 and <1.64%, respectively. The electroosmotic flow can be influenced by imidazolium cation, and the association between the imidazolium cation and the derived amino acids plays an important role in the separation mechanism. This method not only provides an approach for the separation and determination of amino acids, but is also an extension of the ionic liquid application to capillary electrophoresis.     

Investigation of the effects of cyclodextrins and organic solvents on the separation of cationic surfactants in capillary electrophoresis

The use of alpha- and beta-cyclodextrin (CD) to understand and to improve the separation of a series of cationic surfactants, homologues of alkylbenzyldimethyl ammonium compounds (ABDACs) with an alkyl chain of varying length (C10-C18), in capillary electrophoresis (CE) is reported for the first time. Similar to the effects of organic solvents, the presence of alpha- or beta-CD in the running buffer was found to reduce peak tailing/loss for the longer-chain ABDACs. Based on fluorescence measurements, it was found that formation of host-guest complexes occurred between alpha- or beta-CD and various ABDACs, with the likelihood that the hydrophobic alkyl chain including into the CD cavity and the positively charged ammonium group remaining outside the cavity. The effects of alpha- or beta-CD can be interpreted in terms of a shift away from the formation of (1) micelles in the buffer system and (2) surfactant aggregates at the fused-silica capillary walls, as a result of the formation of inclusion complexes between alpha- or beta-CD and ABDACs.