Parallel factor analysis of HPLC-DAD data for binary mixtures of lidocaine and prilocaine with different levels of chromatographic separation

A set of 17 samples containing a constant amount of lidocaine (667 μM) and a decreasing amount of prilocaine (667-0.3 μM) was analysed by LC-DAD at three different levels of separation, followed by parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) of the data obtained. In Case 1 no column was connected, the chromatographic resolution (R_s) therefore being zero, while Cases 2 and 3 had partly separated peaks (R_s=0.7 and 1.0). The results showed that in Case 1, analysed without any separation, the PARAFAC decomposition with a model consisting of two components gave a good estimate of the spectral and concentration profiles of the two compounds. In Cases 2 and 3, the use of PARAFAC models with two components resolved the underlying chromatographic, spectral and concentration profiles. The loadings related to the concentration profile of prilocaine were used for regression and prediction of the prilocaine content. The results showed that prediction of prilocaine content was possible with satisfactory prediction (RMSEP<0.01). This study shows that PARAFAC is a powerful technique for resolving partly separated peaks into their pure chromatographic, spectral and concentration profiles, even with completely overlapping spectra and the absence or very low levels of separation.