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Barros de Souza A, Ali I, van de Goor T, Dewil R, Cabooter D. Comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography with high resolution mass spectrometry to investigate the photoelectrochemical degradation of environmentally relevant pharmaceuticals and their degradation products in water. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 351:120023. [PMID: 38181683 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
The widespread presence of organic micropollutants in the environment reflects the inability of traditional wastewater treatment plants to remove them. In this context, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have emerged as promising quaternary wastewater treatment technologies since they efficiently degrade recalcitrant components by generating highly reactive free radicals. Nonetheless, the chemical characterization of potentially harmful byproducts is essential to avoid the contamination of natural water bodies with hazardous substances. Given the complexity of wastewater matrices, the implementation of comprehensive analytical methodologies is required. In this work, the simultaneous photoelectrochemical degradation of seven environmentally relevant pharmaceuticals and one metabolite from the EU Watch List 2020/1161 was examined in ultrapure water and simulated wastewater, achieving excellent removal efficiencies (overall >95%) after 180 min treatment. The reactor unit was linked to an online LC sample manager, allowing for automated sampling every 15 min and near real-time process monitoring. Online comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC × LC) coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) was subsequently used to tentatively identify degradation products after photoelectrochemical degradation. Two reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) columns were used: an SB-C18 column operated with 5 mM ammonium formate at pH 5.8 (1A) and methanol (1B) as the mobile phases in the first dimension and an SB-Aq column using acidified water at pH 3.1 (2A) and acetonitrile (2B) as the mobile phases in the second dimension. This resulted in a five-fold increase in peak capacity compared to one-dimensional LC while maintaining the same total analysis time of 50 min. The LC x LC method allowed the tentative identification of 12 venlafaxine, 7 trimethoprim and 10 ciprofloxacin intermediates. Subsequent toxicity predictions suggested that some of these byproducts were potentially harmful. This study presents an effective hybrid technology for the simultaneous removal of pharmaceuticals from contaminated wastewater matrices and demonstrates how multidimensional liquid chromatography techniques can be applied to better understand the degradation mechanisms after the treatment of micropollutants with AOPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allisson Barros de Souza
- Agilent Technologies Deutschland, Hewlett-Packard-Strasse 8, 76337, Waldbronn, Germany; KU Leuven, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Izba Ali
- InOpSys - Mobiele Waterzuivering voor Chemie en Farma, Maanstraat 9b, 2800, Mechelen, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Chemical Engineering, Process and Environmental Technology Lab, J. De Nayerlaan 5, 2860, Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium
| | - Tom van de Goor
- Agilent Technologies Deutschland, Hewlett-Packard-Strasse 8, 76337, Waldbronn, Germany
| | - Raf Dewil
- KU Leuven, Department of Chemical Engineering, Process and Environmental Technology Lab, J. De Nayerlaan 5, 2860, Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium; University of Oxford, Department of Engineering Science, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PJ, United Kingdom
| | - Deirdre Cabooter
- KU Leuven, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
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Pardon M, Reis R, de Witte P, Chapel S, Cabooter D. Detailed comparison of in-house developed and commercially available heart-cutting and selective comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography systems. J Chromatogr A 2024; 1713:464565. [PMID: 38096685 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2023.464565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
Recently, two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) has become a popular approach to analyze complex samples. This is partly due to the introduction of commercial 2D-LC systems. In the past, 2D-LC was carried out on in-house developed setups, typically consisting of several switching valves and sample loops as the interface between the two dimensions. Commercial systems usually offer different 2D-LC modes in combination with specialized software to operate the instrument and analyze the data. This makes them highly user-friendly, however, at an increased cost compared to in-house developed setups. This study aims to make a comparison between an in-house developed 2D-LC setup and a commercially available 2D-LC instrument. The comparison is made based on experimental differences, in addition to more general differences, including cost price, flexibility, and ease of operation. Special attention is also paid to the different strategies to deal with the mobile phase incompatibility between the highly orthogonal separation mechanisms considered in this work: hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and reversed-phase LC (RPLC). For the commercial 2D-LC instrument, this is done using active solvent modulation (ASM), a valve-based approach allowing the on-line dilution of the effluent eluting from the first dimension column before transfer to the second dimension (2D) column. For the in-house developed setup, a combination of restriction capillaries and a trap column is used. Using a sample of 28 compounds with a large polarity range, peak shapes and recoveries of the 2D-chromatograms are compared for both setups. For early eluting compounds, the selective comprehensive approach, currently only possible on the commercial 2D-LC instrument, results in the best peak shapes and recoveries, however, at the cost of an increased analysis time. In general, depending on the analytical goal (single heart-cut versus full-comprehensive 2D-LC), an in-house developed system can be satisfactory for the analysis of specific target compounds/samples. For more complex problems, it can be interesting to use a more specialized commercial 2D-LC instrument. Overall, this comparison study provides advice for analytical scientists, who are considering to use 2D-LC, on the type of equipment to consider, depending on the needs of their particular applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Pardon
- Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Analysis, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 Box 824, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory for Molecular Biodiscovery, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 Box 824, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rafael Reis
- Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Analysis, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 Box 824, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Peter de Witte
- Laboratory for Molecular Biodiscovery, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 Box 824, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Soraya Chapel
- Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Analysis, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 Box 824, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Deirdre Cabooter
- Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Analysis, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 Box 824, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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Optimizing transfer and dilution processes when using active solvent modulation in on-line two-dimensional liquid chromatography. Anal Chim Acta 2023; 1252:341040. [PMID: 36935135 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) is becoming increasingly popular for the analysis of complex samples, which is partly due to the recent introduction of commercial 2D-LC systems. To deal with the mobile phase incompatibility between highly orthogonal retention mechanisms, such as hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and reversed-phase LC (RPLC), several strategies have been introduced over the years. One of these strategies is active solvent modulation (ASM), a valve-based approach allowing the on-line dilution of the effluent eluting from the first dimension before transfer to the second dimension. This strategy has gained a lot of attention and holds great potential, however, no clear guidelines are currently in place for its use. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how the ASM process can be optimized when using highly incompatible LC combinations, such as HILIC and RPLC, in a simplified selective comprehensive 2D-LC set-up (sHILIC x RPLC) to suggest guidelines for future users. Using a representative sample, the dilution factor (DF), the duration of the ASM phase, the filling percentage of the sample loops, and their unloading configuration are investigated and optimized. It is observed that a DF of 10 with an optimal ASM phase duration, a sample loop filling of maximum 25%, and an unloading configuration in backflush mode, result in the best peak shapes, intensities, and recoveries for early eluting compounds, while keeping the total analysis time minimal. Based on these results, some general recommendations are made that could also be applied in other 2D-LC modes, such as comprehensive 2D-LC (LC x LC), heart-cutting 2D-LC (LC-LC), and other chromatographic combinations with mobile phase incompatibility issues.
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Zhang L, Shen L, Zhong Q, Zhou T. Diluting modulation-based two dimensional-liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry for simultaneously determining multiclass prohibited substances in cosmetics. J Chromatogr A 2023; 1695:463954. [PMID: 37011524 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2023.463954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
Developing efficient and comprehensive screening methods for prohibited substances in cosmetics is critical for ensuring the quality and safety of cosmetics used in everyday life. This study proposed a heart-cutting two-dimensional liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (2D-LC-MS) method based on online diluting modulation for detecting multiclass prohibited substances in cosmetics. The 2D-LC-MS method combines HILIC and RPLC techniques. Compounds near the dead time that the first dimensional HILIC could not separate were transferred to the second dimensional RPLC by valve switch, achieving good separation with a wide range of polarities. Moreover, the online diluting modulation solved the problem of mobile phase incompatibility, realizing an excellent column-head focusing effect and reducing the loss of sensitivity. Besides, the first dimensional analysis did not restrict the flow rate of the second dimensional analysis owing to the diluting modulation. We demonstrated the 2D-LC-MS system by determining 126 prohibited substances in cosmetic products, including hormones, local anesthetics, anti-infectives, adrenergic agents, antihistamines, pesticides, and other chemicals. All correlation coefficients of the compounds were above 0.9950. The LODs and the LOQs ranged from 0.000259 ng/mL to 16.6 ng/mL and 0.000864 ng/mL to 55.3 ng/mL, respectively. The RSDs% for intra-day and inter-day precision were within 6% and 14%, respectively. Compared with conventional one-dimensional liquid chromatography methods, the established method expanded the analytical coverage of cosmetics-prohibited substances with reduced matrix effects for most compounds and improved sensitivity for polar analytes. The results indicated that the 2D-LC-MS method was a powerful tool for screening multiclass prohibited substances in cosmetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Zhang
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Lingling Shen
- Guangzhou Analytical Center, Analytical & Measuring Instruments Division, Shimadzu (China) Co., LTD, Guangzhou, 510010, China
| | - Qisheng Zhong
- Guangzhou Analytical Center, Analytical & Measuring Instruments Division, Shimadzu (China) Co., LTD, Guangzhou, 510010, China
| | - Ting Zhou
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
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Li H, Liu C, Zhao L, Xu D, Zhang T, Wang Q, Cabooter D, Jiang Z. A systematic investigation of the effect of sample solvent on peak shape in nano- and microflow hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography columns. J Chromatogr A 2021; 1655:462498. [PMID: 34496327 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2021.462498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
A frequently encountered problem in the practical application of nano- and microflow hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) columns is the distortion of peak shapes arising from a mismatch between the sample solvent and the mobile phase. An unmatched or improperly matched sample solvent can distort the peak shape of analytes and influence their retention times, thereby affecting the quality of the resulting chromatogram. In this work, the effect of sample solvent composition (mixtures of acetonitrile, water, methanol and isopropanol in different ratios) and injection volume (20-100 nL) was systematically investigated using a selection of neutral and charged compounds on a series of zwitterionic and charged small I.D. (0.1-0.3 mm) HILIC columns. For retained compounds, pure ACN was demonstrated to be the best sample solvent to obtain narrow peaks, while for compounds that eluted very close to the solvent peak, the peak shape was distorted when the sample solvent consisted of pure ACN. A highly aqueous sample solvent, which interferes with the partitioning of polar analytes into the stationary phase, was demonstrated to be detrimental for the peak shape of retained neutral compounds, while for unretained compounds that do not or hardly interact with the stationary phase, a high amount of water in the sample solvent was not problematic. For charged compounds, water in the sample solvent favored the electrostatic attraction with the stationary phase. Therefore, the retention time of charged analytes was shown to increase with increasing water content in the sample solvent. Even when a large amount of water was present in the sample solvent, the peak shapes of these compounds were still acceptable. For highly polar compounds with a limited solubility in aqueous sample solvents, it was found that a mixture of ACN and MeOH or IPA is a good alternative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haibin Li
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Department for Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Herestraat 49, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Chusheng Liu
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Monitoring and Evaluation of Cosmetics, Shenzhen Institute for Drug Control, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Li Zhao
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Dongsheng Xu
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Tingting Zhang
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Qiqin Wang
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Deirdre Cabooter
- Department for Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Herestraat 49, Leuven 3000, Belgium.
| | - Zhengjin Jiang
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
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Automated Sequential Analysis of Hydrophilic and Lipophilic Fractions of Biological Samples: Increasing Single-Injection Chemical Coverage in Untargeted Metabolomics. Metabolites 2021; 11:metabo11050295. [PMID: 34063084 PMCID: PMC8147996 DOI: 10.3390/metabo11050295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In order to increase metabolite coverage in LC–MS-based untargeted metabolomics, HILIC- and RPLC-mode separations are often combined. Unfortunately, these two techniques pose opposite requirements on sample composition, necessitating either dual sample preparations, increasing needed sample volume, or manipulation of the samples after the first analysis, potentially leading to loss of analytes. When sample material is precious, the number of analyses that can be performed is limited. To that end, an automated single-injection LC–MS method for sequential analysis of both the hydrophilic and lipophilic fractions of biological samples is described. Early eluting compounds in a HILIC separation are collected on a trap column and subsequently analyzed in the RPLC mode. The instrument configuration, composed of commercially available components, allows easy modulation of the dilution ratio of the collected effluent, with sufficient dilution to obtain peak compression in the RPLC column. Furthermore, the method is validated and shown to be fit for purpose for application in untargeted metabolomics. Repeatability in both retention times and peak areas was excellent across over 140 injections of protein-precipitated blood plasma. Finally, the method has been applied to the analysis of real perilymph samples collected in a guinea pig model. The QC sample injections clustered tightly in the PCA scores plot and showed a high repeatability in both retention times and peak areas for selected compounds.
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Beccaria M, Cabooter D. Current developments in LC-MS for pharmaceutical analysis. Analyst 2020; 145:1129-1157. [DOI: 10.1039/c9an02145k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Liquid chromatography (LC) based techniques in combination with mass spectrometry (MS) detection have had a large impact on the development of new pharmaceuticals in the past decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Beccaria
- KU Leuven
- Department for Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences
- Pharmaceutical Analysis
- Leuven
- Belgium
| | - Deirdre Cabooter
- KU Leuven
- Department for Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences
- Pharmaceutical Analysis
- Leuven
- Belgium
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