Pressurized nano-liquid–junction interface for coupling capillary electrochromatography and nano-liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry

Recent Applications of Nano-Liquid Chromatography in Food Safety and Environmental Monitoring: A Review

In recent years, a trend toward instrument miniaturization has led to the development of new and sophisticated analytical systems, such as nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC), which has enabled improvements of sensitivity, as well as chromatographic resolution. The growing interest in nano-LC methodology has resulted in a variety of innovative and promising applications. In this article, we review the applications of nano-LC separation methods coupled with mass spectrometry in the analysis of food and environmental samples. An assessment of sample preparation methods and analytical performance are provided, along with comparison to other, more established analytical techniques. Three main groups of compounds that are crucial for food safety assessment are considered in this review: pharmaceuticals (including antibiotics), pesticides, and mycotoxins. Recent practical applications of the nano-LC method in the determination of these compounds are discussed. Furthermore, we also focus on methods for the determination of various environmental contaminants using nano-LC methods. Future perspectives for the development of nano-LC methods are discussed.

Potentiality of miniaturized techniques for the analysis of drugs of abuse

Capillary electromigration (CE) and liquid chromatographic techniques (CLC/nano-LC) are miniaturized techniques offering distinct advantages over conventional ones in the field of separation science. Among these, high efficiency, high chromatographic resolution, and use of minute volumes of both mobile phase and sample volumes are the most important. CE and CLC/nano-LC have been applied to the analysis of many compounds including peptides, proteins, drugs, enantiomers, ions, etc. Over the years, the methods described here have also been used for the analysis of compounds of clinical, forensic, and toxicological interest. In this review article, the main features of the mentioned techniques are summarized. Their potentiality for the analysis of drugs of abuse are discussed. Some selected applications in this field in the period of 2015-present are also reported.

Advancements in the preparation and application of monolithic silica columns for efficient separation in liquid chromatography

Fast and efficient separation remains a big challenge in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The need for higher efficiency and resolution in separation is constantly in demand. To achieve that, columns developed are rapidly moving towards having smaller particle sizes and internal diameters (i.d.). However, these parameters will lead to high back-pressure in the system and will burden the pumps of the HPLC instrument. To address this limitation, monolithic columns, especially silica-based monolithic columns have been introduced. These columns are being widely investigated for fast and efficient separation of a wide range of molecules. The present article describes the current methods developed to enhance the column efficiency of particle packed columns and how silica monolithic columns can act as an alternative in overcoming the low permeability of particle packed columns. The fundamental processes behind the fabrication of the monolith including the starting materials and the silica sol-gel process will be discussed. Different monolith derivatization and end-capping processes will be further elaborated and followed by highlights of the performance such monolithic columns in key applications in different fields with various types of matrices.

Nano-liquid chromatography for enantiomers separation of baclofen by using vancomycin silica stationary phase

The chiral separation of baclofen (Bac) was obtained by nano-liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (nano-LC-MS/MS) using a 100 μm I.D. fused silica capillary column packed with silica particles chemically modified with vancomycin. Various experimental parameters, such as composition (buffer concentration, water content, organic modifier) and pH of the mobile phase and sample solvent were investigated for method optimization. In order to increase the sensitivity an on-column focusing procedure was applied. Acceptable separation of Bac enantiomers was obtained in less than 11 min eluting in isocratic mode, with 90:10 MeOH/water (v/v) containing 10 mM ammonium acetate at pH 4.5. These optimized experimental conditions were applied to the analysis of human plasma samples spiked with racemic mixture of Bac. The use of a Buckypaper disc as sorbent membrane allows one to recover both enantiomers with yields ≥ 65%. The method was fully validated, following the identification criteria of the European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC.

An overview to nano-scale analytical techniques: Nano-liquid chromatography and capillary electrochromatography

Nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC) and CEC are microfluidic techniques mainly used for analytical purposes. They have been applied to the separation and analysis of a large number of compounds, e.g., peptides, proteins, drugs, enantiomers, antibiotics, pesticides, nutraceutical, etc. Analytes separation is carried out into capillaries containing selected stationary phase. The mobile phase is moved either by a pump (nano-LC) or by an EOF, respectively. The two tools can offer some advantages over conventional techniques, e.g., high selectivity, separation efficiency, resolution, short analysis time and consumption of low volumes of mobile phase. Flow rates in the range 50-800 nL/min are usually applied. The low flow rate reduces the chromatographic dilution increasing the mass sensitivity. Special attention must be paid in avoiding peak dispersion selecting the appropriate detector, injector and tube connection. Finally due to the low flow rate these microfluidic techniques can be easily coupled with mass spectrometry.

Enantioseparations of pharmaceuticals with capillary electrochromatography: A review

The chiral separation of pharmaceuticals is one of the major research topics in the pharmaceutical industry. Chromatographic techniques are most frequently used in this context. Separations in capillary electrochromatography (CEC) are an alternative and achieved by chromatographic retention and electrophoretic mobility principles. As a result, CEC is characterized by a high selectivity and efficiency. The limited number of stationary phases specifically developed for CEC, the low number of commercially available CEC columns, the frits to maintain the stationary phase, which forms fragile spots in the columns, and the limited column robustness and reproducibility, make CEC not very attractive for industrial application. However, CEC is still applied and studied in the academic field. This review discusses the enantioseparation of drugs in CEC published during the last four years, with a critical view on the reproducibility and the practical utility of these applications.

Recent advances on capillary columns, detectors, and two-dimensional separations in capillary electrochromatography

As a typical miniaturized analytical technique, CEC has attracted much attention because of its low sample and solvent consumption, high efficiency, high selectivity, high resolution, and fast speed. In this review, we mainly cover the development of capillary columns and detection techniques in the CEC since 2009. Herein, three types of capillary columns, namely, open-tubular capillary columns, monolithic columns and packed columns, and several types of detectors are reviewed in detail. Moreover, a 2D separation system based on CEC is also reported.

Dating human bone: is racemization dating species-specific?

Our recently developed dating technique based on the racemization rate of aspartic acid was applied to dating human bone, as well as that of other mammals, utilizing capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry. First, several well-dated (mostly (14)C-dated and with strong archeological evidence) human bones ranging in age from 150 to ~10,000 years were used to develop a calibration curve for human bone. The D/L ratio of aspartic acid for these specimens ranged from 2.4% to ~10%, with a correlation coefficient of better than 0.99, indicating a strong linear relationship between the d/l ratio of aspartic acid and the age of the specimens. This calibration curve can now be used to date human archeological specimens of unknown age, up to ~10,000 years. However, when the technique was applied to well-dated mixed species of larger mammal bones such as bison, whale, llama, etc., the calibration curve showed a slower rate of racemization with a lower correlation (0.88). As additional large mammal bones with less certain age (i.e., using archeological evidence alone with no (14)C-dating) were dated the correlation coefficient decreased to 0.70. The correlation coefficient decreased further to 0.58 when the racemization data from all mammals (including human) were added to the calibration curve, indicating the importance of using well-dated, species-specific specimens for forming a calibration curve. This conclusion is consistent with our previously published calibration curve for a single species of silk (Bombyx mori), which followed the expected reversible first-order kinetics. These results support species specificity of amino acid racemization dating.