Stroboscopic sampling in comprehensive high-performance liquid chromatography-capillary electrophoresis via a pneumatic sampler

A new approach is presented to solve the problem of a long separation time in the second dimension of comprehensive two-dimensional chromatography. The need for a rapid separation in the second column is overcome by repeating analysis of a sample many times. In each of these individual analysis cases the sample is injected into the first dimension column and after a delay a low amount of the effluent at the end of the first column is sampled to the second-dimensional column. The time interval between the samplings from the first column to the second column is constantly increased. Thus, the system enables a comprehensive analysis of the effluent emerging from the first into the second column. This approach, which we call stroboscopic sampling, is tested for coupling high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to capillary electrophoresis (CE) by an interface which operates on the principle of transporting the effluent from the HPLC column to the capillary inlet by small pressure pulses (0.5 MPa). The performance of the interface for accomplishing the comprehensive HPLC-CE analysis was demonstrated for an on-line connection of a short ion-exchange column and an ion-exclusion column to the CE capillary.     

On-column capillary electrophoretic monitoring of rapid reaction kinetics for determination of the antioxidative potential of various bioactive phenols

An on-column capillary electrophoretic procedure for the determination of the antioxidative potential of various bioactive phenols, found in plant, fruit, and vegetable extracts, is described. The assay is based on a rapid mixing of phenols or phenolic extracts before the capillary, followed by pressurized injection of the reaction mixture into the capillary. After incubation of the reaction mixture inside the capillary, high voltage is switched on and separation of reactants and products is performed. Using hydrogen peroxide as a stressor, the kinetics of the oxidation of various bioactive phenols was studied (rutin, chlorogenic acid, quercetin, caffeic acid, gallic acid, and combinations of these) and compared with the oxidation rate of L-ascorbic acid as a reference. The concept was demonstrated for the determination of the antioxidative potential of various polyphenol mixtures and of the methanol extract of the sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.). In most cases quercetin has the highest rate constant of oxidation among the tested phenolic compounds. However, in the mixture L-ascorbic acid/quercetin, the oxidation rate of L-ascorbic acid was enhanced and oxidation of quercetin was strongly inhibited compared with the other combinations of tested polyphenols.     

Application of affinity capillary electrophoresis and density functional theory to the investigation of benzo-18-crown-6-ether complex with ammonium cation

Affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE) and quantum mechanical density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been employed for investigation of non-covalent interactions between macrocyclic ligand, benzo-18-crown-6-ether (B18C6) and ammonium cation, NH₄⁺. Firstly, by means of ACE, the strength of the B18C6-NH₄⁺ complex in mixed binary hydro-organic solvent system, methanol–water (50/50, v/v), was determined from the dependence of effective electrophoretic mobility of B18C6 (corrected to reference temperature 25 °C and constant ionic strength, 10 mM) on the concentration of ammonium ion in the background electrolyte (BGE) using non-linear regression analysis. The logarithmic form of the apparent binding (stability) constant (log K_b) of B18C6-NH₄⁺ complex in the above binary solvent system was found to be equal to log K_b = 1.63 ± 0.10. Secondly, the structural characteristics of B18C6-NH₄⁺ complex were described by quantum mechanical density functional theory (DFT) calculations. According to these calculations, in the energetically most favoured form of the B18C6-NH₄⁺ complex, three strong hydrogen bonds are formed between central ammonium ion and B18C6 ligand, one of them is directed to aryl-O-alkyl (Ar–O–CH₂) ethereal oxygen and the other two hydrogen bonds are oriented to alkyl-O-alkyl (CH₂–O–CH₂) ethereal oxygen atoms of the macrocyclic crown ligand.     

Determination of acid-base dissociation constants of very weak zwitterionic heterocyclic bases by capillary zone electrophoresis

Thermodynamic acid-base dissociation (ionization) constants (pK(a)) of seven zwitterionic heterocyclic bases, first representatives of new heterocyclic family (2,3,5,7,8,9-hexahydro-1H-diimidazo[1,2-c:2',1'-f][1,3,2]diazaphosphinin-4-ium-5-olate 5-oxides), originally designed as chiral Lewis base catalysts for enantioselective reactions, were determined by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). The pK(a) values of the above very weak zwitterionic bases were determined from the dependence of their effective electrophoretic mobility on pH in strongly acidic background electrolytes (pH 0.85-2.80). Prior to pK(a) calculation by non-linear regression analysis, the CZE measured effective mobilities were corrected to reference temperature, 25°C, and constant ionic strength, 25 mM. Thermodynamic pK(a) values of the analyzed zwitterionic heterocyclic bases were found to be particularly low, in the range 0.04-0.32. Moreover, from the pH dependence of effective mobility of the bases, some other relevant characteristics, such as actual and absolute ionic mobilities and hydrodynamic radii of the acidic cationic forms of the bases were determined.     

Combined Theoretical and Experimental Study of the Complexation of a Hexaarylbenzene-Based Receptor with the Potassium Cation

In this study, non-covalent binding interactions of the hexaarylbenzene-based receptor (R) with the potassium cation have been investigated. Employing quantum mechanical density functional theory calculations, the most probable structure of the KR ⁺ complex species was predicted. In this complex, the K⁺ cation synergistically interacts with the polar ethereal oxygen fence and with the central hydrophobic benzene bottom via cation?C?? interaction. The strength of the KR ⁺ complex was evaluated experimentally by affinity capillary electrophoresis. From the dependence of the effective electrophoretic mobility of the receptor R on the concentration of the potassium ion in the background electrolyte, the thermodynamic binding (stability, association) constant (K _KR) of the KR ⁺ complex in methanol was evaluated as log₁₀?K _KR?=?3.20?±?0.22.     

Affinity capillary electrophoresis and quantum mechanical calculations applied to the investigation of hexaarylbenzene-based receptor binding with lithium ion

In this study, two complementary approaches, affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE) and quantum mechanical density functional theory (DFT) calculations, have been employed for quantitative characterization and structure elucidation of the complex between hexaarylbenzene (HAB)‐based receptor R and lithium ion Li⁺. First, by means of ACE, the apparent binding constant of Li R ⁺ complex (K) in methanol was determined from the dependence of the effective electrophoretic mobilities of Li R ⁺ complex on the concentration of lithium ions in the 25 mM Tris/50 mM chloroacetate background electrolyte (BGE) using non‐linear regression analysis. Prior to regression analysis, the effective electrophoretic mobilities of the Li R ⁺ complex were corrected to reference temperature 25°C and constant ionic strength 25 mM. The apparent binding constant of the Li R ⁺ complex in the above methanolic BGE was evaluated as logK = 1.15±0.09. Second, the most probable structures of nonhydrated Li R ⁺ and hydrated Li R ⁺·3H₂O complexes were derived by DFT calculations. The optimized structure of the hydrated Li R ⁺·3H₂O complex was found to be more realistic than the nonhydrated Li R ⁺ complex because of the considerably higher binding energy of Li R ⁺·3H₂O complex (500.4 kJ/mol) as compared with Li R ⁺ complex (427.5 kJ/mol).