Determination of acetazolamide in human urine samples by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography in the presence of xanthines.

A simple, rapid and selective high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for the determination of acetazolamide in urine samples is described. After extraction with ethyl acetate, the drug is chromatographed on an HP-Hypersil ODS-C18 column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile-phosphate buffer (pH 3) and ultraviolet detection at 275 nm. The efficiency of the extraction, the linearity and the reproducibility of the method permit the evaluation of acetazolamide urinary excretion a long time after its administration.     

A new selective method for dimethylamine in water analysis by liquid chromatography using solid-phase microextraction and two-stage derivatization with o-phthalaldialdehyde and 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate

A new method is presented for the determination of DMA in water as its 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC) derivative using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and liquid chromatography. The method is based on the employment of SPME fibres coated with carbowax-templated resin (CW-TR) for analyte extraction and derivatization. The fibres were successively immersed in the samples, in a solution of o-phthalaldialdehyde and N-acethyl-l-cysteine (OPA–NAC) and finally, in a solution of FMOC. OPA–NAC reacted on the fibre with possible primary aliphatic amines present in the samples, particularly with PA which is a direct interferent in the determination of DMA with FMOC. In such a way, the formation of PA–FMOC during the second stage was prevented, and thus the method was selective for DMA. The proposed procedure was applied to the determination of DMA in the 1.0–10.0 μg/mL range. The method provided suitable linearity, accuracy and reproducibility, and limits of detection and quantification of 0.3 and 1.0 μg/mL, respectively. The applicability of the method for the determination of DMA in different types of water is shown.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of trimethylamine in water

A method for the selective determination of trimethylamine (TMA) in aqueous matrices by liquid chromatography is reported. The proposed procedure is based on the derivatization of the analyte with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC) in a precolumn (Hypersil C18, 30 microm, 20 mm x 2.1 mm i.d.) connected on-line to the analytical column (LiChrosphere 100 RP18, 5 microm, 125 mm x 4 mm i.d.). Gradient elution was performed with a mixture of acetonitrile-water-0.05 M borate buffer (pH 9.0). The method has been applied to the direct determination of TMA in water within the 0.25-10.0 microg/ml concentration interval, and can also be adapted to the determination of TMA over the range 0.05-1.0 microg/ml by incorporating a preconcentration stage with C18 solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges. Good linearity, reproducibility and accuracy was achieved within the tested concentration intervals. The limits of detection at 262 nm were 50 and 5 ng/ml for the direct method and for the method involving preconcentration, respectively. The proposed conditions allowed the selective determination of TMA in the presence of other primary and secondary short-chain aliphatic amines. The utility of the described procedure has been tested by determining TMA in different water samples.     

On-fibre solid-phase microextraction coupled to conventional liquid chromatography versus in-tube solid-phase microextraction coupled to capillary liquid chromatography for the screening analysis of triazines in water samples

This paper compares the advantages and disadvantages of two different configurations for the extraction of triazines from water samples: (1) on-fibre solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled to conventional liquid chromatography (LC); and (2) in-tube SPME coupled to capillary LC. In-tube SPME has been effected either with a packed column or with an open capillary column. A critical evaluation of the main parameters affecting the performance of each method has been carried out in order to select the most suitable approach according to the requirements of the analysis. In the on-fibre SPME configuration the fibre coating was polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-divinylbenzene (DVB). The limits of detection (LODs) obtained with this approach under the optimized extraction and desorption conditions were between 25 and 125 microg/L. The in-tube SPME approach with a C18 packed column (35 mm x 0.5 mm I.D., 5 microm particle size) connected to a switching micro-valve provided the best sensitivity; under such configuration the LODs were between 0.025 and 0.5 microg/L. The in-tube SPME approach with an open capillary column coated with PDMS (30 cm x 0.25 mm I.D., 0.25 microm of thickness coating) connected to the injection valve provided LODs between 0.1 and 0.5 microg/L. In all configurations UV detection at 230 nm was used. Atrazine, simazine, propazine, ametryn, prometryn and terbutryn were selected as model compounds.     

Urine polyamines determination using dansyl chloride derivatization in solid-phase extraction cartridges and HPLC

The derivatization of biogenic amines such as putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine and spermine with dansyl chloride in solid phase extraction cartridges is described. Different types of filling materials were tested in order to have the highest retention of the different analytes. The best results were obtained by using C18 cartridges. The optimal conditions were: amine solution buffered at pH 12, 2 mM dansyl chloride (acetone-bicarbonate solution 20 mM (pH 9-9.5), 2 + 3 v/v) as reagent concentration, room temperature and 30 min reaction time. The developed procedure was applied to the determination of these polyamines in urine samples from healthy controls and cancer patients using HPLC with 1,7-diaminoheptane as internal standard. The concentrations ranged from 0.5 to 5 micrograms mL-1 and the detection limits were 10 ng mL-1 for all polyamines. By concentrating the urine extracts, the detection limits were improved down to 2 ng mL-1. The accuracy and the precision of the method were tested. The proposed dansylation method is advantageous with respect to solution dansylation. It improves the total analysis time, avoids high temperatures that can affect the thermal stability of the derivatives and could make possible the automation of the procedure.     

FI automatic method for the determination of copper(II) based on coproporphyrin I-Cu(II)/TCPO/H(2)O(2) chemiluminescence reaction for the screening of waters

In this paper, an automatic method for the screening of water samples containing Cu(II) was proposed, based on peryoxalate chemiluminescence reaction using coproporphyrin I as fluorophor compound to provide selectivity and a simple flow injection (FI) chemiluminescence detector (CLD). FI system conditions were chosen in order to distinguish samples over or under legislation limit established (50 μg l⁻¹) with high reliability. The detection limit found was 9 μg l⁻¹ and the linear dynamic range was 15-125 μg l⁻¹ of Cu(II). Repeatibility and reproducibility studies gave good precision and accuracy with recovery near 100%. Under these conditions, the method resulted selective and only Fe(II), Fe(III) and Pb(II) could interfere, but at a concentration level higher than their normal concentration in waters. The proposed method was found to be highly reliable for screening purposes and it was successfully applied to the screening of a variety of real water samples.     

Enantioselective Analysis of Amphetamine-Related Designer Drugs in Body Fluids Using Liquid Chromatography and Solid-Phase Derivatization

A method for the enantioselective determination of the amphetamine-derived designer drugs 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and 3,4-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDE) based on their derivatization with (-)-1-(9-fluorenyl)ethyl chloroformate (FLEC) is described. The proposed procedure entails preconcentration and derivatization of the analytes into C₁₈-packed solid-phase extraction cartridges, chromatographic separation of the diastereomers originated in a C₁₈ column under gradient elution, and UV detection at 265 nm. Compared with the solution derivatization approach the described procedure increased analyte responses by factors of 28–58. The reliability of the method has been tested by analysing plasma and urine samples spiked with the analytes in the 0.015–1.0 μg mL^?1 concentration interval. The proposed conditions provided adequate linearity, and coefficients of variation ranging from 5% to 14% in plasma, and from 3% to 12% in urine. The recoveries of the analytes were of 78%–126% and 78%–128% in plasma and urine, respectively. The limits of detection (LODs) obtained for all the analytes were 5 ng mL^?1 in both biological matrices.     

Comparative study of the determination of trimethylamine in water and air by combining liquid chromatography and solid-phase microextraction with on-fiber derivatization

This work describes a new approach for the determination of trimethylamine (TMA) in water and air by liquid chromatography (LC). The assay is based on the employment of a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber for sampling and for derivatization of the analyte with the fluorogenic reagent 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC). The fiber, with a Carbowax-templated resin −50 μm coating, was first immersed into a solution of the reagent. Once loaded with the reagent, the fiber was immersed into the water samples or exposed to the air samples in order to extract and to derivatize the analyte. Finally, the fiber was placed into a HPLC-SPME interface to desorb and transfer the TMA-FMOC derivative to the LC equipment. A comparative study of the analytical characteristics of the procedure in water and air samples was carried out. Under optimized conditions, the proposed approach permits the quantification of TMA in solution within the 1.0-10.0 μg/ml interval and in air within the 25-200 mg/m³ interval. The limits of detection were 0.25 μg/ml and 12 mg/m³ (25 °C, 1.013 × 10⁻⁵ Pa) in water and air, respectively. The utility of the proposed method for determining TMA in different kind of samples is discussed.     

Multivariate calibration applied to simultaneous chemiluminescence determination of cobalt and chromium

The simultaneous determination of chromium and cobalt in water samples has been studied. Chemiluminescence registers based on the luminol-hydrogen peroxide reaction have obtained by a batch procedure. PLS algorithms have employed to model the time-response (formation and destruction of emitter).The influence of the presence of two metals and the non-linearity relationship between response and concentration have been evaluated in the signal. Different experimental designs and the selection of variables have been tested. The calibration set has been selected based on two criteria: unicomponent and/or bicomponent standard solutions and the slope calculated from linear univariate calibration. The response has been modelled providing high percentages of explained variance, robust models and low prediction errors.The proposed methodology has been validated using test standard solutions and a standard reference material of fresh water. Accurate results have proved the advantages of this method for the simultaneous determination of chromium and cobalt in water samples.     

A microanalytical method for ammonium and short-chain primary aliphatic amines using precolumn derivatization and capillary liquid chromatography

A new microscale method is presented for the determination of ammonium and primary short-chain aliphatic amines (methylamine, ethylamine, propylamine, n-butylamine and n-pentylamine) in water. The assay uses precolumn derivatization with the reagent o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) in combination with the thiol N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), and capillary liquid chromatography with UV detection at 330 nm. The described method is very simple and rapid as no preconcentration of the analytes is necessary, and the volume of sample required is only 0.1 mL. Under the proposed conditions good linearity has been obtained up to a concentration of the analytes of 10.0 mgL(-1), the limits of detection being of 8-50 microgL(-1). No matrix effect was found, and recoveries between 97 and 110% were obtained. The precision of the method was good, and the achieved variation coefficients were below 12%. The reliability of the proposed approach has been tested by analyzing a microsample of fogwater collected from leaf surfaces.