On-line UV Detection Research Articles

Study of humic-like substances of dissolved organic matter using size exclusion chromatography and chemometrics

The study of dissolved organic matter (DOM) presents a significant challenge for environmental analyses and the monitoring of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This is particularly true for the tracking of recalcitrant to biodegradation dissolved organic matter (rDOM) compounds, which is generated during the thermal pretreatment of sludge. This study aims to develop analytical and chemometric methods to differentiate melanoidins from humic acids (HAs), two components of rDOM that require monitoring at various stages of wastewater treatment processes due to their distinct biological effects. The developed method implements the separation of macromolecules through ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography size-exclusion chromatography (U-HPLC SEC) followed by online UV and fluorescence detection. UV detection was performed at 210, 254, and 280 nm, and fluorescence detection at six excitation/emission pairs: 230/355 nm, 270/355 nm, 240/440 nm, 270/500 nm, 330/425 nm, and 390/500 nm. Chromatograms obtained for each sample from these nine detection modes were integrated and separated into four molecular fractions: >40 kDa, 20–40 kDa, 10–20 kDa, and <10 kDa. To enhance analytical resolution and normalize the data, ratios were calculated from the areas of chromatographic peaks obtained for each detection mode. The results demonstrate the utility of these ratios in discriminating samples composed of HAs, melanoidins, and their mixtures, through principal component analysis (PCA). Low molecular weight fractions were found to be specific to melanoidins, while high molecular weight fractions were characteristic of HAs. For the detection modes specific to melanoidins, UV absorbance at 210, 254, and 280 nm were predominantly present in the numerators, with tryptophan-like fluorescence emissions in the denominators. Conversely, fluorescence emissions largely represented both numerators and denominators for HAs. This online method also enables the discrimination of pseudo-melanoidins, compounds revealing a nitrogen deficiency in their chemical structures.

Blue, green and yellow carbon dots derived from pyrogenic carbon: Structure and fluorescence behaviour

Fluorescence lifetimes and quantum yields featuring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other organics constituting pyrogenic carbon particulate matter (PM) are seldom measured. In this work, PM sampled in a fuel-rich ethylene flame was firstly separated in organic carbon (OC), soluble in dichloromethane, and refractory organic carbon (ROC), soluble in N-methyl pyrrolidinone, and then analyzed by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) coupled with online UV and fluorescence detection, and by offline fluorescence spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. It was found that three classes of differently light emitting carbon dots (CDs) could be bottom-up synthesized in the same flame system by selecting appropriately the residence time. Actually, OC presented blue fluorescence regardless the residence time, whereas ROC sampled at low and high residence time emitted fluorescence in the green (green CDs) and in the yellow (yellow CDs) region, respectively. The SEC molecular weight of all CDs presented similar trimodal distributions, centered around 300, 1000 and 10,000 u. For the first time fluorescence lifetimes and quantum yields of pyrogenic CD fractions were measured as additional parameters useful for discriminating the fluorescent components and inferring their structural properties, with the support of mass spectrometry. The different spectroscopic features of CDs could be associated to different compositional characteristics as the polydispersity of molecular components featuring blue CDs, opposed to the oligomer-like nature of green and yellow CDs. Pyrogenic CDs showed different fluorescence emission ranges, quantum yield and lifetimes, appealing for their possible applications in the fields of imaging, electronics and sensors.

Asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) with fluorescence and multi-detector analysis for direct, real-time, size-resolved measurements of drug release from polymeric nanoparticles

Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are typically designed to enhance the efficiency of drug delivery by controlling the drug release rate. Hence, it is critical to obtain an accurate drug release profile. This study presents the first application of asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) with fluorescence detection (FLD) to quantify release profiles of fluorescent drugs from polymeric NPs, specifically poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) NPs loaded with enrofloxacin (PLGA-Enro NPs). In contrast to conventional measurements requiring separation of the NPs and dissolved drugs (typically by dialysis) prior to quantification, AF4 provides in situ removal of unincorporated drugs, while the judicious combination of online FLD and UV detection selectively provides the entrapped drug and PLGA NP concentrations, respectively, and hence the drug loading. NP size and shape factors are simultaneously obtained by online dynamic and multi-angle light scattering (DLS, MALS) detectors. The AF4 and dialysis approaches were compared to evaluate drug release from PLGA-Enro NPs containing a high proportion (≈ 94%) of unincorporated (burst release) drug at three temperatures spanning the glass transition temperature (Tg ≈ 33 °C) of the NPs. The AF4 method clearly captured the temperature dependence of the drug release relative to Tg (from no release at 20 °C to rapid release at 37 °C). In contrast, dialysis was not able to distinguish differences in the extent or rate of release of the entrapped drug because of interferences from the burst release, as well as the dialysis lag time, as supported through a diffusion model and validation experiments on purified NPs with low burst release. Finally, the multi-detector AF4 analysis yielded unique size-dependent release profiles across the entire NP size distribution, with smaller NPs showing faster release consistent with radial diffusion from the NPs. Overall, this study demonstrates the novel application and advantages of multi-detector AF4 methods, particularly AF4-FLD, to obtain direct, size-resolved release profiles of fluorescent drugs from polymeric NPs.

Towards a Non-Biased Formaldehyde Quantification in Leather: New Derivatization Conditions before HPLC Analysis of 2,4-Dinitrophenylhydrazine Derivatives.

In leathers, formaldehyde is currently analyzed according to EN ISO 17226-1 standard, by reversed phase liquid chromatography after off-line precolumn derivatization with 2,4 dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) in strong acidic conditions. We first demonstrate that this standard is not adapted to leather retanned with resins likely to release formaldehyde by hydrolysis. Indeed, formaldehyde content may be largely overestimated due to concomitant resin hydrolysis (in harsh acidic conditions) that releases formaldehyde during the derivatization step and during the waiting time on autosampler before analysis. Therefore, we thoroughly studied the derivatization step in order to propose new derivatization conditions. Replacing orthophosphoric acid by less acidic buffer solutions is not enough to avoid hydrolysis. A derivatization without adding acid is realized by solubilizing DNPH in acetonitrile instead of orthophosphoric acid. These conditions lead to a complete derivatization of formaldehyde in 3 h at 50 °C (in a water bath) while avoiding the hydrolysis of co-extracted dicyandiamide and melamine resins. The as-obtained leather extracts are stable over time. Formaldehyde contents found with this method agree with the formaldehyde content measured immediately at the end of derivatization reaction in standard conditions or with formaldehyde content measured by a home-designed flow injection analysis with acetylacetone online derivatization and UV detection.

Hydrolysis of particulate organic matter from municipal wastewater under aerobic treatment

Hydrolysis of particulate organic matter is known to be a limiting step in biological wastewater treatment. In this work, we used an experimental set-up, which allowed the parallel observation of hydrolysis product formation on the one side and utilization on the other side. The hydrolysis products are characterized by using size exclusion chromatography with online carbon and UV (254 nm) detection. The used particles (size: 25–250 μm) originated from municipal wastewater. Here, it is shown that the concentration of high molecular weight organic matter increases over the first three days. During this time, bacteria grow and produce the required enzymes to perform the further degradation. The oxygen utilization rate (OUR) on the other side continuously develops, confirming the presence of easily biodegradable organic matter. In parallel, the amount of bacteria and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) undergoes a certain dynamics, which was visualized by using confocal laser scanning images.

Influence of salt and acetonitrile on the capillary zone electrophoresis analysis of imatinib in plasma samples.

A simple, sensitive, specific, and cost-effective analytical methodology was developed for the analysis of human plasma samples spiked with imatinib by CZE with on-line UV detection in the context of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring. Several analytical conditions such as the ionic strength (I) and the pH of the BGE composed of citric acid and ε-amino caproic acid were studied in regards of the presence of sodium chloride (NaCl) in plasma samples (1% m/v). Computer simulations (Simul software) were used to confirm the experimental results and to understand imatinib electrophoretic behavior in the presence of NaCl. Furthermore, the advantages of adding ACN to the sample containing NaCl to combine efficient protein precipitation and on-line CZE stacking of imatinib were demonstrated. LOD and LOQ values of 48 and 191ng/mL were obtained from plasma sample supernatant after protein precipitation with ACN, which is much lower than mean imatinib plasma level observed for patients treated by imatinib mesylate (about 1000ng/mL). Good linearity was obtained in the concentration range 191-5000ng/mL (R2 >0.997). RSD of less than 1.68% and 2.60% (n=6) for migration times and corrected peak areas, respectively, were observed at the LOQ.

Chromatography-based methods for determining molar extinction coefficients of cytotoxic payload drugs and drug antibody ratios of antibody drug conjugates

UV spectrophotometry is widely used to determine the molar extinction coefficients (MECs) of cytotoxic drugs as well as the drug antibody ratios (DARs) of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). However, the unknown purity of a drug due to interfering impurities can lead to erroneous MECs and DARs. Hence, reliable methods to accurately determine purity and the MECs of drugs with limited quantity is urgently needed in Drug Discovery. Such a method has been developed. It achieves absolute purity and accurate MEC determination by a single automated HPLC analysis that uses less than 5μg of material. Specifically, analytical HPLC separation with online UV detection was used to resolve impurities and measure absorbance from only the compound of interest. Simultaneously, an online chemiluminescence nitrogen detector (CLND) was used to determine the concentration of the analyte. The MECs were then calculated from the absorbance and concentration results. The accuracy of the method was demonstrated using caffeine and a commercial cytotoxic drug, DM1. This approach is particularly suited to analyzing mixtures or samples with low purities. Excellent reproducibility was demonstrated by analyzing a proprietary drug with linker synthesized from different batches with very different levels of purity. In addition, the MECs of drug with linker, along with ADC peak areas measured from size exclusion chromatography (SEC), were used to calculate DARs for 21 in-house ADCs. The DAR results were consistent with those obtained by MS analysis.

Aptamer functionalized hydrophilic polymer monolith with gold nanoparticles modification for the sensitive detection of human α-thrombin

Low abundant proteins of body fluids participate nearly all physiological processes and indicate various kinds of diseases. The development of specific enrichment techniques is the key to identify and quantify the low abundant proteins. Herein, a novel kind of aptamer functionalized hydrophilic polymer monolith was developed for the specific enrichment and detection of human α-thrombin from the human plasma. Human α-thrombin aptamer, with thiol group modified at the 5′ terminal, was immobilized on the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) modified poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate) monolithic column, with the binding capacity of 277.1μmol/L. Due to the hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate) as the cross-linking monomer, the detection recovery of the aptamer-functionalized hydrophilic polymer monolithic column could reach to 92.6±5.2% (n=3) and the dynamic range could reach 0.5–300ng/μL (S/N>10) with on-line UV detection. Meanwhile, the column could run over 100 times, because the poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate) stability structure and the AuNPs improved the stability of the matrix material. Furthermore, this column could even capture the target α-thrombin, which was spiked in 1000 folds of original human plasma. All these results demonstrated the great potential of the prepared aptamer functionalized hydrophilic polymer monolith for the recognition of the trace proteins in the biological samples.

Monosaccharide compositions of sulfated chitosans obtained by analysis of nitrous acid degraded and pyrazolone-labeled products

Chemically sulfated chitosans are important biomaterials. However, a reliable analytical method for quality control over such compounds is still lacking. In this study, we prepared four different kinds of selectively sulfated chitosans and developed a novel method to analyze their monosaccharide compositions by HPLC. In this method, nitrous acid was used to generate 2, 5-hydro mannose (M), 3-O-sulfated M (M3), 6-O-sulfated M (M6), and 3, 6-O-disulfated M (M9) from the sulfated chitosans. PMP, that is 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone with a UV absorbance at 245nm, was used to label all the Ms quantitatively. The monosaccharide compositions for each sulfated chitosan were obtained by C18 HPLC separation and online UV detection of all PMP-labeled Ms. The identities of all Ms were confirmed by MS analysis with the help of standard Ms generated from a heparin pentasaccharide and chitosan. The overall results indicated that the newly developed method had advantages over 13C NMR in defining the monosaccharide compositions of sulfated chitosans and was useful for quality control purpose.

Combining asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation with on- and off-line fluorescence detection to examine biodegradation of riverine dissolved and particulate organic matter

This study demonstrated that asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) coupled with on-line UV and fluorescence detection (FLD) and off-line excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy can be employed to analyze the influence of microbial metabolic activity on the consumption and production of freshwater organic matter. With the AF4 system, organic matter is on-line enriched during a focusing/relaxation period, which is an essential process prior to separation. Size-fractionated chromophoric and fluorophoric organic materials were simultaneously monitored during the 30-min AF4 separation process. Two fractions of different sizes (dissolved organic matter (DOM) and particulate organic matter (POM)) of freshwater samples from three locations (up-, mid-, and downstream) along the Han River basin of Korea were incubated with the same inoculum for 14 days to analyze fraction-specific alterations in optical properties using AF4-UV-FLD. A comparison of AF4 fractograms obtained from pre- and post-incubation samples revealed that POM-derived DOM were more susceptible to microbial metabolic activity than was DOM. Preferential microbial consumption of protein-like DOM components concurred with enhanced peaks of chromophoric and humic-like fluorescent components, presumably formed as by-products of microbial processing. AF4-UV-FLD combined with off-line identification of microbially processed components using EEM fluorescence spectroscopy provides a powerful tool to study the relationship between microbial activity and composition as well as biodegradability of DOM and POM-derived DOM from different origins, especially for the analysis of chromophoric and fluorophoric organic matter that are consumed and produced by microbial metabolic activity. The proposed AF4 system can be applied to organic matter in freshwater samples having low concentration range (0.3–2.5ppm of total organic carbon) without a pre-concentration procedure.

Determination of chemotherapeutic drugs in human urine by capillary electrophoresis with UV and fluorimetric detection using solid-supported liquid-liquid extraction for sample clean-up.

Capillary electrophoresis was used for the rapid determination of three chemotherapeutic drugs employed to treat colorectal cancer: irinotecan, tegafur, and leucovorin, and their main metabolites (7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin and 5-fluorouracil), in human urine samples. A phosphate buffer (pH 11.34; 20 mM) was selected as the background electrolyte. A hydrodynamic injection (9 s, 30 mbar) was applied and the separation was carried out using a separation temperature and voltage of 25°C and 25 kV, respectively. A capillary with two detection windows for serial online UV and fluorescence detection was satisfactorily employed. A solid-supported liquid-liquid extraction procedure was optimized for the clean-up of the urine samples and the extraction of the analytes. Matrix effects were assessed and signal suppression was observed for three of the analytes, thus, matrix-matched calibration was used for compensating residual matrix effects on these analytes. The proposed method allows the separation and quantification of the chemotherapeutics in less than 6 min. Detection limits range between 0.01 and 0.30 mg/L. The method was satisfactorily applied to the determination of the target compounds in human urine samples, with recoveries of 92.4-107.7%.

Determination of the degree of acetylation and the distribution of acetyl groups in chitosan by HPLC analysis of nitrous acid degraded and PMP labeled products

Chitin is one of the most abundant polysaccharides on earth. It consists of repeating β-1,4 linked N-acetylated glucosamine (A) units. Chitosan is an N-deacetylated product of chitin. Chitosan and its derivatives have broad medical applications as drugs, nutraceuticals, or drug delivery agents. However, a reliable analytical method for quality control of medically used chitosans is still lacking. In current study, nitrous acid was used to cleave all glucosamine residues in chitosan into 2,5-anhydromannose (M) or M at the reducing end of di-, tri-, and oligosaccharides. PMP, i.e. 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone, was used to label all the Ms. Online UV detection allowed quantification of all M-containing UV peaks whereas online MS analysis directly identified 11 different kinds of mono-, di-, tri-, and oligosaccharides that correlated each oligosaccharide with specific UV peak after HPLC separation. The DA (degree of acetylation) for chitosans was calculated based on the A/(A+M) value derived from the UV data. This newly developed method had several advantages for quality control of chitosan: 1. the experimental procedures were extensively optimized; 2. the reliability of the method was confirmed by online LC-MS analysis; 3. the DA value was obtainable based on the UV data after HPLC analysis, which was comparableto that of 1H NMR and conductometric titration analyses; 4. finally and most importantly, this method could be used to obtain the DA as well as chemical acetylation/deacetylation mechanisms for chitosan by any laboratory equipped with a HPLC and an online UV detector.

Myrica faya: a new source of antioxidant phytochemicals.

Myrica faya is a fruit tree endemic of the Macaronesia (Azores, Madeira, and Canary Island), and its edible fruits are known as "amorinhos" (little loves), bright red to purple berries, used fresh and in jams and liquors. The phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity of leaves and berries from M. faya are presented here for the first time. The screening of phytochemical compounds was carried out using high-performance liquid chromatography with online UV and electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS(n)). There were 55 compounds characterized, mostly galloyl esters of flavonoids and phenolic acids; 26 of the identified compounds (anthocyanins, isoflavonoids, lignans, terpenes, fatty acids, and phenylethanoids) have not been reported in Myrica genus so far. From the data presented here, it can be concluded that faya berries represent a rich source of cyanidin-3-glucoside, flavonoids, and vitamin C. In fact, higher antioxidant activity than that of the well-known Myrica rubra berries (Chinese bayberry) has been observed.

An eco-friendly strategy, using on-line monitoring and dilution coupled to a second-order chemometric method, for the construction of dissolution curves of combined pharmaceutical associations

A simple, precise, economic and minimally operator-dependent method was developed under green analytical chemistry principles, for the simultaneous construction of the dissolution curves of a pharmaceutical association in short time and without employing organic solvents, allowing important savings of labor and resources. The carvedilol (CAR) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) combined formulation was employed as a model. The method (OD/UV-MCR) involves on-line sample dilution (OD) and UV detection of the analytes, coupled to multivariate curve resolution with alternating least squares (MCR-ALS).OD/UV-MCR proved to be robust and was successfully validated in accordance to ICH guidelines, fulfilling acceptance criteria for specificity (r2 of spectral correlation>0.950), linearity [r>0.999 (N=25) in the ranges 1.00–31.1mgl−1 and 0.51–15.2mgl−1 for CAR and HCT, respectively] and precision (RSD<2%). Accuracy was assessed by point-to-point comparison between the dissolution profiles furnished by the proposed method with those provided by HPLC analysis, evidencing the usefulness of this monitoring system.In addition, OD/UV-MCR was successfully employed for the comparative analysis of three lots of commercial formulations of the CAR–HCT pharmaceutical association, belonging to a couple of different brands, employing Moore and Flanner's f2 similarity indicator.

Development and validation of a sensitive enantiomeric separation method for new single enantiomer drug levornidazole by CD-capillary electrophoresis

A fast and sensitive chiral capillary electrophoresis method has been developed to determine levornidazole and its enantiomeric impurity at a 0.05% level in levornidazole injection solution. Several chemical and instrumental parameters which have an effect on chiral separation were investigated, including chiral selectors, buffer composition and pH, applied voltage, capillary length, temperature and rinsing procedure. After optimizing all the effective parameters, the ideal separation conditions were 20mM Tris phosphate buffer at pH 2.1, containing 2.0% (w/v) sulfated-α-cyclodextrin with short end injection at 0.5psi for 5.0s. Online UV detection was performed at 277nm. A voltage of 30kV was applied and the capillary temperature was kept at 25°C. 2,4,6-triaminopyrimidine was chosen as internal standard to improve the injection precision. The total analysis time is less than 7min, which is faster than the existing chiral HPLC method (65min). The validation of the method was performed in terms of factorial analysis, stability of the solution, different cyclodextrin batches study, selectivity, linearity (from 2.5μg/mL to 6000μg/mL, y=0.0015 x+0.0304; R2=0.9999 and the residuals were randomly scattered around 0), LOD and LOQ (0.3 and 1.0μg/mL, respectively), precision and accuracy. The proposed method was then applied to the enantiomeric purity control of the starting material and injection solution of levornidazole (0.5mg/100mL).

Development and validation of a capillary electrophoresis method for the determination of escitalopram and sensitive quantification of its enantiomeric impurity in formulations

A rapid capillary zone electrophoresis method has been developed capable of quantifying 0.05% of R-enantiomer and assaying the main component in escitalopram formulations. Many parameters influencing enantioseparation were investigated, which include chiral selectors, buffer composition and pH, applied voltage, capillary length, temperature, and rinsing procedure. Optimal separation conditions were obtained by using a 25 mM phosphate buffer at pH 7.0, containing 1.6% (w/v) sulfated-β-cyclodextrin with short-end injection at 0.5 psi for 5 s. Online UV detection was performed at 205 nm. A voltage of -20 kV was applied and the capillary temperature was kept at 25°C. Separation was achieved in less than 2 min. The method was further validated, including robustness, stability of the solution, selectivity, linearity (escitalopram from 0.25 μg/mL to 600 μg/mL, y = 1528.3 × +1812.9; R² = 0.9999), LOD and LOQ (0.08 and 0.25 μg/mL, respectively), precision and accuracy. The proposed method was then applied to the quality control of the bulk sample and tablets of escitalopram (10 mg).

Development of a non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis method with UV–visible and fluorescence detection for phenolics compounds in olive oil

Response surface methodology has been applied to the optimization of a simple and rapid non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis method for the separation and determination of several phenolic compounds belonging to the different families present in olive oil. A Box-Behnken design was employed and a total of 27 experiments were performed using olive oil samples spiked with the phenols and injected directly in the capillary after dilution 1:1 with 1-propanol. Finally, the background electrolyte (BGE) was constituted of 25 mM boric acid and 18 mM KOH in a mixture of 74:26 (v/v) 1-propanol/methanol. The hydrophobicity of the BGE allows its miscibility with the olive oil and, as a consequence, the possibility of characterizing and determining these kinds of compounds in this sample without any pretreatment. A hydrodynamic injection (6 s, -30 mbar) was applied and the separation was carried out using 35 °C and +20 kV of separation temperature and voltage, respectively. A capillary with two detection windows for serial online UV and fluorescence detection was satisfactorily employed. The validation of the method was carried out by setting the calibration curves, and the figures of merit were finally obtained. A lineal relationship between the corrected peak area and concentration and limits of detection in the order of micrograms per milliliter were found.

Determination of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and its metabolites in urine by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Abstract A fast and accurate micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) method was developed for monitoring N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) exposure. Baseline separation of NMP and its main metabolites: 5-hydroxy-N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (5HNMP), N-methylsuccinimide (MSI), 2-hydroxy-N-methylsuccinimide (2HMSI), and 2-pyrrolidone (2P) was obtained within 6 min in an uncoated fused silica capillary using 5 mM phosphate buffer and 140 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (pH 7.1) as background electrolyte (BGE). On-line UV-detection was performed at 200 nm and the applied electric field was 400 V cm−1. Possible interference of BGE-induced system peaks on separation was investigated by computer simulation and no such interference was observed. The developed MEKC method combined with solid phase extraction for sample preparation was successfully applied to the analysis of urine of rats exposed to NMP. The urinary excretion was determined in 0–6 h and 6–24 h specimens collected after an intragastic administration of 308 mg NMP / kg rat body weight. The results of NMP disposition kinetics in rat urine are reported for NMP and metabolites.

Determination of tocopherols in vegetable oil samples by non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) with fluorimetric detection

A non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) method is presented for the assay of tocopherols in vegetable oils. The composition of the separation buffer was optimized using an experimental design and response-surface methodology, resulting in the selection of a solution made of 12mM borate buffer (3mM sodium tetraborate), 60mM sodium cholate, and 12mM sodium hydroxide in methanol as optimal. The other conditions used were hydrodynamic injection (30mbar for 3s), separation temperature of 50°C, and separation voltage of +20kV for the first 12.5min and +22kV subsequently. A capillary with two detection windows for serial on-line UV and fluorescence detection was used. The later showed improved sensitivity and selectivity. Linearity of the relationship between the corrected peak area (fluorescence detection) and the concentration was verified from 1.0 to 50.0μgmL−1 of each tocopherol. The detection limits, calculated as 3×SD where SD is the standard deviation of the most dilute sample, were of the order of a few μgmL−1. A cleaning stage of solid-phase extraction with a silica cartridge was applied prior to the assay of the samples, and the results were adequately validated by reversed-phase liquid chromatography.

Analysis of phenolic compounds from different morphological parts of Helichrysum devium by liquid chromatography with on‐line UV and electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection

A simple and rapid method has been used for the screening and identification of the main phenolic compounds from Helichrysum devium using high-performance liquid chromatography with on-line UV and electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection (LC-DAD/ESI-MS(n)). The total aerial parts and different morphological parts of the plant, namely leaves, flowers and stems, were analyzed separately. A total of 34 compounds present in the methanolic extract from Helichrysum devium were identified or tentatively characterized based on their UV and mass spectra and retention times. Three of these compounds were positively identified by comparison with reference standards. The phenolic compounds included derivatives of quinic acid, O-glycosylated flavonoids, a caffeic acid derivative and a protocatechuic acid derivative. The characteristic loss of 206 Da from malonylcaffeoyl quinic acid was used to confirm the malonyl linkage to the caffeoyl group. This contribution presents one of the first reports on the analysis of phenolic compounds from Helichrysum devium using LC-DAD/ESI-MS(n) and highlights the prominence of quinic acid derivatives as the main group of phenolic compounds present in these extracts. We also provide evidence that the methanolic extract from the flowers was significantly more complex when compared to that of other morphological parts.