Information theory of miniaturization advantages of column liquid chromatography for quantitative analysis

Summary The influences of decreasing column diameter and length on two analytical goals, the precision and solvent efficiency, in reversed-phase liquid-chromatography are studied. Low solvent consumption is one of analytical advantages of miniaturized columns and is shown to be quantitatively evaluated by the precision and solvent efficiency which are defined to be the total Shannon mutual information obtained from an assay and the information obtained in a unit solvent volume, respectively. Analysis of paraben food additives on a microbore column is taken as an example. In trace analysis, the relative standard deviation (RSD) of measurements theoretically derived from the precision is shown to approach to the observed ones.     

Identification of Shiga toxins in Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli using immunoprecipitation and high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

We developed a rapid and reliable identification method for Shiga toxins in Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) using immunoprecipitation and high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS). Polyclonal antisera specific for Shiga toxin 1 (Stx1) and Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2) were raised in rabbits so as to be used for the immunoprecipitation. The immunoprecipitaion was carried out by mixing sample solutions with 50 microl each of the antisera to Stx1 and Stx2 followed by allowing the mixed solutions to stand for 30 min. The quantity required to obtain the immunoprecipitate was more than 0.5 microg of Shiga toxins. HPLC-ESI-MS analysis of the resulting immunoprecipitates provided accurate molecular weight information on Shiga toxins, leading to direct evidence for the presence of these toxins. It requires at most two days to perform our procedure from toxin extraction to measurement of HPLC-ESI-MS whereas the previous method using isolation procedures required about two weeks to complete. The usefulness of the present method has been demonstrated by identifying Stx1, Stx2 and a variant of Stx2 (Stx2e) in the immunoprecipitates prepared from STEC strains.     

Pictet-Spengler reactions catalyzed by Brønsted acid-surfactant-combined catalyst in water or aqueous media

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOSA), Brønsted acid-surfactant-combined catalyst, efficiently catalyzes the Pictet-Spengler reactions of β-arylethyl carbamate derivatives with aldehydes in water. The present reaction is accelerated by the addition of 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP).