Determination of levodopa methyl ester and its metabolites in rat serum by CZE with amperometric detection

A reliable and reproducible method, capillary zone electrophoresis with amperometric detection (CZE–AD), has been developed for separation and quantification of levodopa methyl ester (LDME) and its biotransformation products levodopa (L-DOPA) and dopamine (DA) in rat serum. A carbon-disk electrode was used as working electrode. The optimum conditions for CZE detection were 50 mmol L^–1 phosphate solution at pH 7.0 as running buffer, 17 kV as separation voltage, 1.0 V (vs Ag/AgCl, 3.0 mol L^–1) as detection potential, and sample injection for 8 s at 17 kV. The linear ranges were from 2.4×10^–2 to 2.2 g mL^–1 for LDME, 2.9×10^–1 to 49.5 g mL^–1 for L-DOPA, and 1.4×10^–2 to 1.5 g mL^–1 for DA with correlation coefficients of 0.9997, 0.9994, and 0.9999, respectively. The detection limits for LDME, L-DOPA, and DA were 14.6, 98.0, and 9.7 ng mL^–1, respectively. Recoveries were 80.3% for LDME, 93.5% for L-DOPA, and 86.5% for DA. This method was applied to serum samples after intravenous injection of LDME and L-DOPA to rats.     

Determination of selected neurotransmitter metabolites using monolithic column chromatography coupled with chemiluminescence detection

The oxidation of selected clinically important neurotransmitter metabolites with acidic potassium permanganate in the presence of polyphosphates evokes chemiluminescence of sufficient intensity to enable the sensitive determination of these species. Limits of detection for 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA), vanilmandelic acid (VMA; α,4-dihydroxy-3-methoxybenzeneacetic acid), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylglycol (MHPG), homovanillic acid (HVA, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylacetic acid) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) were between 5 × 10⁻⁹ and 4 × 10⁻⁸ M, using flow-injection analysis methodology. In addition, we demonstrate the rapid determination of homovanillic acid and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid in human urine - without the need for extraction procedures - using monolithic column chromatography with chemiluminescence detection.     

Derivation of the transport equation for electrons moving through random impurities

A single (nonrelativistic, spinless) electron subject to a constant external electric field interacts with impurities located on an infinitely extended lattice by a potential of random strength. The random strength is given by a field of Gaussian random variables. We show the existence of the averaged dynamics and prove that in the weak coupling limit, 0, ₂ t= fixed, one obtains the usual transport equation for the velocity distribution.Work supported by a Max Kade Foundation fellowship.On leave of absence of the Fachbereich Physik der Universität München.     

A central limit theorem for age- and density-dependent population processes

Consider a population consisting of one type of individual living in a fixed region with area A. In [8], we constructed a stochastic population model in which the death rate is affected by the age of the individual and the birth rate is affected by the population density P_A(t), i.e., the population size divided by the area A of the given region. In [8], we proposed a continuous deterministic model which in general is a nonlinear Volterra type integral equation and proved that under appropriate conditions the sequence P_A(t) would converge to the solution P(t) of our integral equation in the sense that

$\text{lim}\text{→∞}\text{P}\text{sup}\text{0?s?t}\text{|P}{}_{\mathrm{A}}\text{(s) ? P(s)|>ε}\text{=0}\text{for every}\text{ε > 0}$

.In this paper, we obtain a “central limit theorem” for the random element √A(P_A(t)?P(t)). We prove that under appropriate conditions √A(P_A(t)?P(t)) will converge to a Gaussian process. (See Theorem 3.4 for the explicit formula of this Gaussian process.)     

The spherical limit forn-vector correlations

We investigate then limit of then-vector model single-spin and pairspin correlation functions. In this limit we show that the correlation functions become those of the corresponding spherical model.     

Determination of Aldehydes and Ketones in Fuel Ethanol by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Electrochemical Detection

A new methodology was developed for analysis of aldehydes and ketones in fuel ethanol by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to electrochemical detection. The electrochemical oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, 2-furfuraldehyde, butyraldehyde, acetone and methyl ethyl ketone derivatized with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) at glassy carbon electrode present a well defined wave at +0.94 V; +0.99 V; +1.29 V; +1.15 V and +1.18 V, respectively which are the basis for its determination on electrochemical detector. The carbonyl compounds derivatized were separated by a reverse-phase column under isocratic conditions with a mobile phase containing a binary mixture of methanol / LiClO_4(aq) at a concentration of 1.0 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹ (80:20 v/v) and a flow-rate of 1.1mL min⁻¹ . The optimum potential for the electrochemical detection of aldehydes-DNPH and ketones-DNPH was +1.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The analytical curve of aldehydes-DNPH and ketones-DNPH presented linearity over the range 5.0 to 400.0 ng mL⁻¹, with detection limits of 1.7 to 2.0 ng mL⁻¹ and quantification limits from 5.0 to 6.2 ng mL⁻¹, using injection volume of 20 μL. The proposed methodology was simple, low time-consuming (15 min/analysis) and presented analytical recovery higher than 95%.     

Application of pure silica gel as cation-exchange stationary phase in lon chromatography with indirect photometric detection for common mono-and divalent cations using aromatic monoamines as eluents

Summary A pure silica gel (Pia Seed 5S-60-SIL), synthesized by the hydrolysis of pure tetraethoxysilane [Si(OCH₂CH₃)₄], was applied as a cation-exchange stationary phase in ion chromatography with indirect photometric detection for common mono-and divalent cations (Li⁺, Na⁺, NH₄ ⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺) using various protonated aromatic monoamines (tyramine [4-(2-aminethyl) phenol], benzylamine, phenylethylamine, 2-methylpyridine and 2,6-dimethylpyridine) as eluet ions. When using 0.75 mM tyramine-0.25 mM oxalic acid-1.5 mM 18-crown-6 (1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaoxacyclooctadecane) at pH 5.0 as the eluent, excellent simultaneous separation and highly sensitive detection at 275 nm for these mono-and divalent cations were achieved on the Pia Seed 5S-60-SIL column (150×4.6 mm I.D.) in 20 min.     

Optimization of an electrolytic conductivity detector for determination of toxic nitrogen-containing food contaminants separated by open tubular column gas chromatography

The combination of open tubular column gas chromatography with electrolytic conductivity detection has been evaluated for the determination of nitrogen-containing pesticide residues in food extracts. Optimization of the column position at the column-detector interface was crucial to the successful operation of the detector. The signal-to-noise ratio and response stability of the detector are greatly influenced by the composition of the electrolyte solvent. Large volume splitless injections using retention gaps and optimized detector operating conditions enabled pesticide residues in food extracts to be determined at sub parts-per-million levels. Although the electrolytic conductivity detector is less sensitive than the thermionic ionization detector, its greater nitrogen selectivity can he crucial to the determination of nitrogen-containing contaminants in food extracts, particularly in complex mixtures where phosphorus-containing contaminants or matrix compounds are also present.     

Ozone-based sulfur chemiluminescence detection: Its applicability to gas,supercritical fluid,and high performance liquid chromatography

The sensitive detection of sulfur-containing analytes is of interest in many industrial applications; selective detection is also desirable since these compounds are usually present at trace levels in difficult matrixes. The purpose of this article is to review the use of the Sievers® ozone-based sulfur chemiluminescence detector, and its coupling with gas chromatography, supercritical fluid chromatography, and high performance liquid chromatography. Detection limits, linearity, response factors, and selectivity are discussed for each of these techniques. Critical operational parameters for the SCD are also described. The use of other sulfur selective detectors for SFC and HPLC is also briefly summarized.     

HPLC of 9-fluorenylmethylchloroformate-polyamine derivatives with fluorescence detection

Summary There are a number of reagents available for fluorescent labelling of primary amines. These include dansyl chloride, o-phthalaldehyde, fluorescamine, and a new reagent, 9-fluorenylmethylchloroformate (FMOC), reported recently. This paper describes a reversed-phase HPLC procedure for the separation and fluorescence detection of polyamines following pre-column derivatization with FMOC. The polyamines studied by this method include putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, and spermine. Experiments were carried out to determine maximum fluorescence excitation and emission wavelengths, optimum reaction pH, linear ranges, and minimum detection limits for each of the polyamines. The HPLC method includes a gradient program which provides complete separation from serum hydrolysate components and specificity for the four polyamines with detection limits ranging from 2 to 9 pg. This procedure was applied to hydrolyzed serum samples.