The Present Status of Dense (Supercritical) Gas Extraction and Dense Gas Chromatography: Impetus for DGC/MS Development

Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Vegetable Materials

The paper presents the base and conditions for the extraction of organic materials with solvents in the supercritical state with particular attention to use of CO2 as the extraction agent. The advantages and disadvantages of this process are described. The examples of extraction of organic materials using supercritical of CO2 are presented.

Temperature and density effects on the absorption maximum of solvated electrons in sub- and super-critical methanol

The optical absorption spectra of the solvated electron ([Formula: see text]) in sub- and super-critical methanol are measured by both electron pulse radiolysis and laser photolysis techniques, at temperatures in the range 220–270 °C. Over the density range studied (~0.45–0.59 g/cm3), the position of the absorption maximum ([Formula: see text]) of [Formula: see text] is found to shift only slightly to the red with decreasing density. In agreement with our previous work in water, at a fixed pressure, [Formula: see text] decreases monotonically with increasing temperature in passing through the phase transition at Tc (239.5 °C). By contrast, at a fixed density, [Formula: see text] exhibits a minimum as the solvent passes above the critical point into the supercritical state. These behaviors are discussed in terms of microscopic arguments based on the changes that occur in the methanol properties and methanol structure in the sub- and super-critical regimes. The effect of the addition of a small amount of water to the alcohol on the optical absorption energy of [Formula: see text] is also investigated.

Preparation and properties of liposomes composed of various phospholipids with different hydrophobic chains using a supercritical reverse phase evaporation method

Liposomes were prepared by the supercritical reverse phase evaporation method developed in our laboratory using various phospholipids with different hydrocarbon chains. The effects of the length of alkyl chain and number of unsaturated bonds of phospholipids on the properties of liposomal membranes were examined through trapping efficiency measurements, transmission electron microscopic observations, and osmotic response measurements. The trapping efficiency for water-soluble drugs of liposomes prepared by our method was greatly higher than that of liposomes prepared by the conventional Bangham method. Liposomes prepared using unsaturated phospholipids showed a high trapping efficiency compared with those prepared using saturated phospholipids. In addition, the trapping efficiency of liposomes prepared using 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl phosphatidylcholine (POPC), a complex phospholipid with both saturated and unsaturated alkyl groups, had a value intermediate between L-alpha-dipalmitoyl-phosphtidylcholine (DPPC), a saturated phospholipid, and L-alpha-dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC), an unsaturated phospholipid. That is, the trapping efficiency of liposomes was dependent on the number of unsaturated bonds rather than the alkyl chain length of phospholipid molecule and it increased with increasing bulkiness of the molecule. The osmotic response was higher for liposomes prepared using unsaturated phospholipids than for those formed by saturated phospholipids.

Supercritical fluids in separation science--the dreams, the reality and the future

The last 20 years have seen an intense interest in the use of supercritical fluids in separation science. This started with the introduction of commercial instruments first for packed and then for capillary chromatography and it looked as if this would be a technique to rival gas-liquid chromatography and HPLC. The activity developed quite rapidly into packed column supercritical fluid separations then into supercritical fluid extraction. However, in recent years there has been a decline in publications. These later techniques continue to be used but are now principally applied to a limited group of applications where they offer significant advantages over alternative techniques. This review looks back over this period and analyses how these methods were developed and the fluids, detectors and applications that were examined. It suggests why many of the initial applications have vanished and why the initial apparent promise was not fulfilled. The rise and fall of supercritical fluids represents a lesson in the way analysts approach new techniques and how we might view other new separation developments at the end of this millennium. The review looks forward to the future of supercritical fluids and their role at the end of the first century of separation science. Probably the most important idea that supercritical fluids have brought to separation science is a recognition that there is unity in the separation methods and that a continuum exists from gases to liquids.

Chemical and epidemiological aspects of modified butter oil fractions

Butter lipids are an important traditional source of dietary energy intake in the form of fat. Butter lost a sizable portion of its market share due to controversies associated with its cholesterol content and high percentage of long-chain saturated fatty acids. Accordingly, the use of vegetable oils and their chemically manipulated counterparts such as those produced by partial hydrogenation or interestrification increased proportionally. However, beginning in 1940, researchers developed several procedures such as temperature-controlled crystallization, refractionation of crystallized butter oil solids, and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction to improve the acceptance of butter oil. Others proposed preparation of synthetic substitutes such as sucrose polyesters to reduce intestinal absorption of fatty acids, thus reducing caloric intake with concomitant reduction in serum cholesterol. The present review provides a summary of the efforts of several attempts to improve the acceptability of butter together with the anticipated epidemiological consequences of long-term consumption of altered butter oil to mammalian health.

Directly coupled supercritical fluid extraction-gas chromatographic analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls from environmental solids

A method has been developed for the direct coupling of supercritical fluid extractions with gas chromatography (SFE-GC) that yields good chromatographic peak shapes and quantitative recovery of analytes from environmental solids with a total extraction and analysis time of less than one hour. Maximum sensitivity is achieved and analyte degradation or loss is minimized since the extracted species are quantitatively transferred into a fused-silica capillary gas chromatographic column for cryogenic focusing followed by normal GC analysis using flame ionization, electron-capture, or mass spectrometric (MS) detection. Coupled SFE-GC-MS determinations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from National Bureau of Standards urban dust (SRM 1649) gave excellent agreement with certified values.

Resolution of enantiomeric amides on a Pirkle-type chiral stationary phase. A comparison of subcritical fluid and liquid chromatographic approaches

Subcritical and supercritical fluid chromatography (SubFC and SFC) have been evaluated for the resolution of an homologous series of enantiomeric amides. The solutes were the 2-naphthoyl amides of an homologous series of amines, ranging from 2-aminobutane to 2-aminoctane, and the p-methyl-, p-methoxy- and p-chlorophenylamides of 2-aminoheptane. The chiral stationary phase (CSP) used was the covalent form of (R)-N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)phenylglycine. In liquid chromatography (LC) the mobile phase comprised hexane-2-propanol--acetonitrile (97:3:0.5) at a flow-rate of 2 ml/min and temperatures of 20-35 degrees C. In SFC, the mobile were various mixtures of carbon dioxide and polar modifiers, such as alcohols, chloroform and water. For the best conditions in LC, the chiral resolution, alpha, increased through the homologous series from alpha = 1.03 for the amide derived from 2-aminobutane to alpha = 1.11 for the 2-aminooctane amide. The values of alpha observed for the pi-basic amides of 2-aminoheptane (p-methyl and p-methoxy) were greater than that observed for the pi-acidic amide (p-chloro), i.e., alpha = 1.08 versus 1.04. The selectivities, resolutions and efficiencies obtained by LC and SubFC were similar. These results indicate that the mechanism of chiral recognition is the same in LC and SubFC and that the methods should be interchangeable. The actual analysis time for SubFC was significantly shorter than that required for LC: as short as 2 min for the 2-aminooctane amide, whereas LC takes over 10 min under the best conditions.

Biotechnology in Food Production and Processing

The food processing industry is the oldest and largest industry using biotechnological processes. Further development of food products and processes based on biotechnology depends upon the improvement of existing processes, such as fermentation, immobilized biocatalyst technology, and production of additives and processing aids, as well as the development of new opportunities for food biotechnology. Improvements are needed in the characterization, safety, and quality control of food materials, in processing methods, in waste conversion and utilization processes, and in currently used food microorganism and tissue culture systems. Also needed are fundamental studies of the structure-function relationship of food materials and of the cell physiology and biochemistry of raw materials.