Ionic liquids as stationary phases in gas chromatography: Determination of chlorobenzenes in soils

The present research focuses on the evaluation of different ionic liquid (IL) stationary phases in gas chromatography. The different IL columns were evaluated in terms of peak resolution (R_s) and peak symmetry for the separation of the chlorobenzenes. The determination of chlorobenzenes in soil samples by means of the optimal IL stationary phase (SLB‐IL82) is proposed as an application. Soil pretreatment was based on a simplified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction procedure and a large injection volume via a programed temperature vaporizer working in solvent vent mode. The retention time of the chlorobenzenes increased as the polarity of the IL column decreased. SLB‐IL82 is the stationary phase that provides the best values as regards R_s and asymmetry factor. Soil sample blanks were spiked with the analytes before subjecting the sample to the extraction process. The existence of a matrix effect was checked and the analytical characteristics of the method were determined in a fortified garden soil sample. The method provided good linearity, good repeatability and reproducibility values, and the LODs were in the 0.1–4.7 μg/kg range. Two fortified soil samples were applied to validate the proposed methodology.     

Evolutionary insights on the willingness to communicate

While in previous models of pre-play communication players are forced to communicate, we investigate what happens if players can choose not to participate in this cheap talk. Outcomes are predicted by analyzing evolutionary stability in a population of a priori identical players. If the game following the communication rewards players who choose the same action then an efficient outcome is only guaranteed when participation in the pre-play communication is voluntary. If however players aim to coordinate on choosing different actions in the underlying game and there are sufficiently many messages then the highest payoff is selected when players are forced to talk to each other before playing the game. Received: September 2000/Revised: March 2003     

Communication, complexity, and evolutionary stability

In games with costless preplay communication, some strategies are more complex than others in the sense that they induce a finer partition of the set of states of the world. This paper shows that if the concept of evolutionary stability, which is argued to be a natural solution concept for communication games, is modified to take lexicographic complexity preferences into account, then for a class of games of common interest only communication strategies that induce payoff-dominant Nash outcomes of the underlying game are stable. Received April 1998/Final version September 1998     

Ultrasound‐assisted matrix solid phase dispersive extraction for the simultaneous analysis of β‐lactams (four penicillins and eight cephalosporins) in milk by high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection

The application of ultrasound‐assisted matrix solid phase dispersive extraction for the confirmatory analysis of 12 β‐lactam antibiotics in milk by high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection has been proposed herein. Four penicillins (cloxacillin, dicloxacillin, oxacillin, and amoxicillin) and eight cephalosporins (cefaclor, cefadroxil, ceftiofur, cefuroxime, cefoperazone, cefazolin, cephalexin, and cefotaxime) are effectively extracted using a mixed sorbent of Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged Safe technique and OASIS HLB providing a matrix free from any endogenous interference. Examined analytes were well resolved on an Inertsil ODS‐3 analytical column with a mobile phase of CH₃COONH₄ (0.05 M) and acetonitrile delivered under a gradient program. 1,7‐Dimethyl‐xanthine was used as internal standard. The method was validated meeting the European Legislation determining linearity, selectivity, stability, decision limit, detection capability, accuracy, precision, and ruggedness according to the Youden approach. Recoveries of all antibiotics rated from 85.0 to 115.7%, while RSD values were <12.7%. Finally, the method was successfully applied to milk samples purchased from local market.     

Streamlined sample cleanup using combined dispersive solid-phase extraction and in-vial filtration for analysis of pesticides and environmental pollutants in shrimp

A new method of sample preparation was developed and is reported for the first time. The approach combines in-vial filtration with dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) in a fast and convenient cleanup of QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) extracts. The method was applied to simultaneous analysis of 42 diverse pesticides and 17 environmental contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and flame retardants, in shrimp as the sample matrix. Final extracts were analyzed by both low-pressure gas chromatography – triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (LPGC-MS/MS), and high-performance liquid chromatography – triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) to provide a wide scope of analysis for targeted analytes. During method development, several different commercial sorbents for d-SPE were investigated and compared with respect to analyte recoveries. The method was validated at 10, 50, and 100 ng g⁻¹ spiking levels (10-fold lower for PCBs), and the results for nearly all analytes were between 70 and 115% recoveries with ≤17% relative standard deviations. The method was shown to be simple, fast, and effective for multi-application analysis of chemical residues in the representative food and environmental marker matrix.     

Comparison of extraction techniques for isolation of steroid oestrogens in environmentally relevant concentrations from sediment

The comparison of four extraction techniques for isolation of five native and one labelled steroid oestrogens from sediment was described. The three conventional extraction techniques Soxhlet warm extraction (SWE), accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and a promising technique QuEChERS were tested for isolation of low environmentally relevant oestrogen concentrations using different extraction conditions. The least expensive and time-consuming method QuEChERS provided the best extraction recoveries (53–84%) from all techniques. MAE achieved the highest recovery from conventional techniques for less polar oestrogens using dichloromethane: acetone 3:1 mixture as an extraction solvent (50–71%), but for extraction of the whole group of oestrogens including more polar estriol acetone or methanol must be used. ASE provided higher extraction recoveries using dichloromethane at 60°C (53–74%) for less polar oestrogens. However, the repeatability of results was unsatisfactory and recoveries using other extraction conditions were lower than for MAE. The most time-consuming SWE achieved the worst extraction recoveries and for isolation of low oestrogen concentrations from sediments, it is completely unsuitable.     

Rapid quick,easy, cheap,effective, rugged,and safe extraction with novel phospholipid cleanup: A streamlined ultra high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection approach for screening polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in avian blood cells and plasma

A streamlined method has been developed for the isolation and analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in avian blood cells and plasma utilizing quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction in combination with novel phospholipid cleanup technology. A variety of traditional extraction and cleanup techniques have been employed in the preparation and analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsin a variety of matrices; liquid–liquid partitioning, solid‐phase extractions, gel permeation chromatography, and column chromatography are all effective techniques, however they are laborious and time consuming processes that require large amounts of solvent. Using quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction coupled with phospholipid cleanup, samples can be quickly screened while maintaining high throughput and sensitivity. With a liquid chromatography approach, analysis times may be kept short at 16 min while maintaining high analyte recovery. Recoveries in quality control samples ranged from 70 to 109%, with average surrogate recoveries of 80.6 ± 1.10%. The result of using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction approach in conjunction with phospholipid cleanup is a methodology that significantly reduces sample preparation time and solvent use while maintaining high sensitivity and reproducibility.     

High Efficient Extraction of Phthalates in Aquatic Products by a Modified QuEChERS Method

A simple, environmentally friendly and high efficient extraction method was proposed for the determination of five phthalates in aquatic products by gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry detector (GC-MS). When this method was adopted, samples were pretreated by modified QuEChERS(quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) method. An environmentally friendly extractant(ethanol aqueous solution) replaced toxic acetonitrile for extracting phthalates in the protein-matrix samples. Fluorescence quenching spectra of bovine serum albumin(BSA) with phthalates show that there was a high-affinity interaction between phthalate and protein, decreasing the extraction efficiency of phthalates from fish samples. However, in the 80%(volume fraction, φ) ethanol aqueous solution, a slow but full protein denaturation takes place, which would cause the unfolding of protein and the release of phthalates. Meanwhile, the fat-soluble impurities are extracted less in φ(ethanol) 80% aqueous solution than in either φ(ethanol) 100% or hydrophobic solvents in the liquid-liquid extraction procedure. Therefore the purification steps were greatly simplified. Overall recoveries were 81.77%―90.5% with limits of detection between 2.53 and 9.61 μg/L, and relative standard deviation values at 1.15%―4.85%. The proposed approach was satisfactorily applied to the determination of phthalates in real aquatic products, such as fish, shrimp and oyster.     

Isolation of PHA–Producing Bacteria from Date Syrup Waste

Since the major problem associated with the industrial production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) is their high production cost, this study was carried out using date syrup as the major carbon source to decrease the production cost and also help to supply other nutrient requirements. To isolate PHA–producing bacteria for this purpose, microorganisms were isolated from the syrup waste of a local date factory. These purified colonies were screened for intracellular granules by staining with Sudan Black. The positive-staining strains were grown for production of PHAs in 5% date syrup as carbon source supplemented with mineral salt medium. The culture was incubated at 30 °C with shaking at 140 rpm for 60 h. Among positively stained bacteria, the best PHA producers were selected on the basis of cell growth, cell dry weight, PHA content and the monomer composition of PHA. One of them could utilize date syrup for growth and produce the homopolymer of Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) with a cell density of about 5.1 g/L and maximum concentration of PHB equal to 3.6 g/L which is 71% of cell dry weight. Another one produces copolymer of Poly (hydroxybutyrate-hydroxyvalerate) in date syrup media with a maximum concentration of 2.2 g/L containing 10 wt % valerate in shake flask cultivation.     

Novel approaches in analysis of Fusarium mycotoxins in cereals employing ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry

Rapid, simple and cost-effective analytical methods with performance characteristics matching regulatory requirements are needed for effective control of occurrence of Fusarium toxins in cereals and cereal-based products to which they might be transferred during processing. Within this study, two alternative approaches enabling retrospective data analysis and identification of unknown signals in sample extracts have been implemented and validated for determination of 11 major Fusarium toxins. In both cases, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (U-HPLC) coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (HR MS) was employed. ¹³C isotopically labeled surrogates as well as matrix-matched standards were employed for quantification. As far as time of flight mass analyzer (TOF-MS) was a detection tool, the use of modified QuEChERS (quick easy cheap effective rugged and safe) sample preparation procedure, widely employed in multi-pesticides residue analysis, was shown as an optimal approach to obtain low detection limits. The second challenging alternative, enabling direct analysis of crude extract, was the use of mass analyzer based on Orbitrap technology. In addition to demonstration of full compliance of the new methods with Commission Regulation (EC) No. 401/2006, also their potential to be used for confirmatory purposes according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC has been critically assessed.