Separation and quantification of [RhCln(H2O)6−n] (n = 0-6) complexes, including stereoisomers, by means of ion-pair HPLC-ICP-MS

A hyphenated ion-pair (tetrabutylammonium chloride—TBACl) reversed phase (C₁₈) HPLC-ICP-MS method (High Performance Liquid Chromatography Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy) for anionic Rh(III) aqua chlorido-complexes present in an HCl matrix has been developed. Under optimum chromatographic conditions it was possible to separate and quantify cationic Rh(III) complexes (eluted as a single band), [RhCl₃(H₂O)₃], cis-[RhCl₄(H₂O)₂]⁻, trans-[RhCl₄(H₂O)₂]⁻ and [RhCl_n(H₂O)_6−n]³⁻ⁿ (n = 5, 6) species. The [RhCl_n(H₂O)_6−n]³⁻ⁿ (n = 5, 6) complex anions eluted as a single band due to the relatively fast aquation of [RhCl₆]³⁻ in a 0.1 mol L⁻¹ TBACl ionic strength mobile phase matrix. Moreover, the calculated t_1/2 of 1.3 min for [RhCl₆]³⁻ aquation at 0.1 mol kg⁻¹ HCl ionic strength is significantly lower than the reported t_1/2 of 6.3 min at 4.0 mol kg⁻¹ HClO₄ ionic strength. Ionic strength or the activity of water in this context is a key parameter that determines whether [RhCl_n(H₂O)_6−n]³⁻ⁿ (n = 5, 6) species can be chromatographically separated. In addition, aquation/anation rate constants were determined for [RhCl_n(H₂O)_6−n]³⁻ⁿ (n = 3-6) complexes at low ionic strength (0.1 mol kg⁻¹ HCl) by means of spectrophotometry and independently with the developed ion-pair HPLC-ICP-MS technique for species assignment validation. The Rh(III) samples that was equilibrated in differing HCl concentrations for 2.8 years at 298 K was analyzed with the ion-pair HPLC method. This analysis yielded a partial Rh(III) aqua chlorido-complex species distribution diagram as a function of HCl concentration. For the first time the distribution of the cis- and trans-[RhCl₄(H₂O)₂]⁻ stereoisomers have been obtained. Furthermore, it was found that relatively large amounts of ‘highly’ aquated [RhCl_n(H₂O)_6−n]³⁻ⁿ (n = 0-4) species persist in up to 2.8 mol L⁻¹ HCl and in 1.0 mol L⁻¹ HCl the abundance of the [RhCl₅(H₂O)]²⁻ species is only 8-10% of the total, far from the 70-80% as previously proposed. A 95% abundance of the [RhCl₆]³⁻ complex anion occurs only when the HCl concentration is above 6 mol L⁻¹. The detection limit for a Rh(III) species eluted from the column is below 0.147 mg L⁻¹.     

Quantification of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone in plasma and saliva from adult and pediatric patients by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

A robust and validated LC-MS-MS quantitative method, using column switching and mutiple reaction monitoring was developed for the analysis of risperidone (RIS) and 9-hydroxyrisperidone in human plasma and saliva. The analytical range was 1-100 ng/ml. The method used 25 microl of sample precipitated with 75 microl of acetonitrile containing internal standard (R068808). Analyses were conducted on a PE Sciex API-III + triple quadrupole mass spectrometer fitted with a Turbo IonSpray source. The method was validated for human plasma using EDTA as the anticoagulant and cross-validated to heparinized human plasma and saliva. The recoveries of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone were 90-93 and 89-93%, respectively. The validated method was applied to clinical samples to study risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone concentrations in plasma and saliva. Risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone appear in the saliva of patients treated with risperidone. Their detection/quantification in saliva provides evidence for recent adherence with therapy.     

Conformational Structures of a Decapeptide Validated by First Principles Calculations and Cold Ion Spectroscopy

Calculated structures of the two most stable conformers of a protonated decapeptide gramicidin S in the gas phase have been validated by comparing the vibrational spectra, calculated from first‐ principles and measured in a wide spectral range using infrared (IR)–UV double resonance cold ion spectroscopy. All the 522 vibrational modes of each conformer were calculated quantum mechanically and compared with the experiment without any recourse to an empirical scaling. The study demonstrates that first‐principles calculations, when accounting for vibrational anharmonicity, can reproduce high‐resolution experimental spectra well enough for validating structures of molecules as large as of 200 atoms. The validated accurate structures of the peptide may serve as templates for in silico drug design and absolute calibration of ion mobility measurements.     

Phosphonic systems: 5. Prototropic equilibria of diethyl alkenylphosphonates

Base-catalyzed prototropic equilibria for nine pairs of diethyl 1- and 2-alkenylphosphonates have been determined. The results, together with those reported elsewhere for three other pairs, demonstrated that the diethoxyphosphoryl group PO₃Et₂ has only a very weakly stabilizing effect on the adjacent carbon–carbon double bond. The decisive factors are the number of carbon atoms attached to the double bond and the number of hydrogen atoms available for hyperconjugation.