Supported liquid membrane extraction coupled in-line to commercial capillary electrophoresis for rapid determination of formate in undiluted blood samples

Progress in on-line, at-line, and in-line coupling of sample treatment with capillary and microchip electrophoresis over the past 10 years: A review

The review presents an evaluation of the development of on-line, at-line and in-line sample treatment coupled with capillary and microchip electrophoresis over the last 10 years. In the first part, it describes different types of flow-gating interfaces (FGI) such as cross-FGI, coaxial-FGI, sheet-flow-FGI, and air-assisted-FGI and their fabrication using molding into polydimethylsiloxane and commercially available fittings. The second part deals with the coupling of capillary and microchip electrophoresis with microdialysis, solid-phase, liquid-phase, and membrane based extraction techniques. It mainly focuses on modern techniques such as extraction across supported liquid membrane, electroextraction, single drop microextraction, head space microextraction, and microdialysis with high spatial and temporal resolution. Finally, the design of sequential electrophoretic analysers and fabrication of SPE microcartridges with monolithic and molecularly imprinted polymeric sorbents are discussed. Applications include the monitoring of metabolites, neurotransmitters, peptides and proteins in body fluids and tissues to study processes in living organisms, as well as the monitoring of nutrients, minerals and waste compounds in food, natural and wastewater.

Electromembrane Extraction and Dual-Channel Nanoelectrospray Ionization Coupled with a Miniature Mass Spectrometer: Incorporation of a Dicationic Ionic Liquid-Induced Charge Inversion Strategy

Green analytical chemistry aims at developing analytical methods with minimum use and generation of hazardous substances for the protection of human health and the environment. To address this need, a green analytical protocol has been developed for the analysis of anionic compounds integrating electromembrane extraction (EME), dual-channel nanoelectrospray ionization (nanoESI), and a miniature mass spectrometer. Haloacetic acids (HAAs) have attracted considerable public concern due to their adverse effects on human health and were selected as model analytes for method development. A flat membrane EME device was developed and assembled in-house. Optimization of fundamental operational parameters was performed using single-factor test and response surface methodology. Both the EME acceptor phase and an imidazolium-based dicationic ionic liquid (DIL), 1,1-bis(3-methylimidazolium-1-yl) butylene difluoride (C₄(MIM)₂F₂), were subjected to dual-channel nanoESI and miniature mass spectrometry analysis based on a charge inversion strategy, where positively charged complexes were formed. Enhancement in signal intensity by as much as 2 magnitudes was achieved in the positive-ion mode compared to the negative-ion mode in the absence of the dicationic ion-pairing agent. The developed protocol was validated, obtaining good recoveries ranging from 82.7 to 109.9% and satisfactory sensitivity with limits of detection (LODs) and quantitation (LOQs) in the ranges of 1-5 and 2-10 μg/L, respectively. The greenness of the analytical procedure was assessed with a calculated score of 0.71, indicating a high degree of greenness. The developed method was applied to the analysis of real environmental or municipal water samples (n = 16), exhibiting appealing potential for outside-the-laboratory applications.

Portable capillary electrophoresis instrument with contactless conductivity detection for on-site analysis of small volumes of biological fluids

A novel, easy to use and portable capillary electrophoretic instrument for injection of small volumes of biological fluids equipped with contactless conductivity detection was constructed. The instrument is lightweight (<5 kg), all necessary parts including a tablet computer are accommodated in a plastic briefcase with dimensions 20 cm × 33 cm × 17 cm (w × l × h), allows hydrodynamic injection of small sample volumes and can continuously operate for at least 10 hours. The semi-automated hydrodynamic sample injection is accomplished via a specially designed PMMA interface that is able to repeatedly inject sample aliquots from a sample volume as low as 10 μL, with repeatability of peak areas below 5%. The developed interface and the instrument were optimized for the injection of biological fluids. Practical utility was demonstrated on the determination of formate in blood serum samples from acute methanol intoxication patients and on the analysis of ionic profile (nitrosative stress markers, including nitrite and nitrate) in the exhaled breath condensate from one single exhalation.