Enantiomeric separation of chiral polycyclic musks by capillary electrophoresis: Application to the analysis of cosmetic samples

The enantiomeric separation of four chiral polycyclic musks (Galaxolide, Tonalide, Traseolide and Phantolide) using CE was achieved for the first time in this work. Two chiral methodologies were developed by CD-MEKC using SDS as surfactant in a CHES buffer (pH 9.0). One methodology enabled the fast enantiomeric separation of individual polycyclic musks with analysis times lower than 10 min for Tonalide, 13 min for Traseolide and Phantolide, and 17 min for Galaxolide. Enantiomeric resolutions obtained were higher than 1.5 using different separation media for each compound. A second methodology was also developed enabling the simultaneous enantioseparation of the four musks. In this case, the use of a dual CD system containing two neutral CDs was necessary to achieve the separation of all enantiomers from three out of four musks in 45 min. Although a coelution between Galaxolide and Phantolide was observed, the use of different UV absorption wavelengths allowed the simultaneous analysis of both musks. In addition, a sweeping strategy was performed in order to increase the sensitivity of the method. Appropriate analytical characteristics (linearity, LOD and LOQ, precision and absence of matrix interferences) were obtained for conventional and sweeping methodologies. Finally, the usefulness of the method was demonstrated in the determination of the enantiomers of the polycyclic musks in personal care products as perfumes.     

Separation of phthalates by cyclodextrin modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography: Quantitation in perfumes

A new CE method has been developed for the simultaneous separation of a group of parent phthalates. Due to the neutral character of these compounds, the addition of several bile salts as surfactants (sodium cholate (SC), sodium deoxycholate (SDC), sodium taurodeoxycholate (STDC), sodium taurocholate (STC)) to the separation buffer was explored showing the high potential of SDC as pseudostationary phase. However, the resolution of all the phthalates was not achieved when employing only this bile salt as additive, being necessary the addition of neutral cyclodextrins (CD) and organic modifiers to the separation media. The optimized cyclodextrin modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CD-MEKC) method consisted of the employ of a background electrolyte (BGE) containing 25 mM β-CD-100 mM SDC in a 100 mM borate buffer (pH 8.5) with a 10% (v/v) of acetonitrile, employing a voltage of 30 kV and a temperature of 25 °C. This separation medium enabled the total resolution of eight compounds and the partial resolution of two of the analytes, di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP) and diethyl hexyl phthalate (DEHP) (Rs ~ 0.8), in only 12 min. The analytical characteristics of the developed method were studied showing their suitability for the determination of these compounds in commercial perfumes. In all the analyzed perfumes the most common phthalate was diethyl phthalate (DEP) that appeared in ten of the fifteen analyzed products. Also dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diallyl phthalate (DAP), dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCP), and di-n-pentyl phthalate (DNPP) were found in some of the analyzed samples.     

Chiral separation of agricultural fungicides

Fungicides are very important and diverse environmental and agricultural concern species. Their determination in commercial formulations or environmental matrices, requires highly efficient, selective and sensitive methods. A significant number of these chemicals are chiral with the activity residing usually in one of the enantiomers. The different toxicological and degradation behavior observed in many cases for fungicide enantiomers, results in the need to investigate them separately. For this purpose, separation techniques such as GC, HPLC, supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) and CE have widely been employed although, at present, HPLC still dominates chromatographic chiral analysis of fungicides. This review covers the literature concerning the enantiomeric separation of fungicides usually employed in agriculture grouping the chiral separation methodologies developed for their analysis in environmental, biological, and food samples.