Denis Tadeu Rajh Vidal

Determination of biogenic amines in beer and wine by capillary electrophoresis-tandem mass spectrometry

A capillary electrophoresis-tandem mass spectrometry (CE-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous assessment of nine biogenic amines (spermine, spermidine, putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, phenylethylamine, tryptamine, tyramine, and urocanic acid) in commercial samples of beer and wine is introduced. The samples were submitted to a simple clean-up step with poly(vinylpolypyrrolidone) followed by filtration. Electrophoretic separation in a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-coated capillary using 0.5 mol L(-1) acetic acid (pH 2.5) as background electrolyte and detection by electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry was employed. The range of the correlation coefficients of the calibration curves of the analyzed compounds was 0.996-0.999, and the limits of detection and limits of quantification were in the range of 1-2 μg L(-1) and 3-8 μg L(-1), respectively. The recovery values for samples spiked at three concentration levels (0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 mg L(-1)) ranged from 87 to 113% with standard deviation not greater than 5.8%. The use of a PVA-coated silica capillary allows suppressing the electroosmotic flow and, consequently, increasing of the separation efficiency. The method was successfully used to determine biogenic amines in commercial samples of beer and wine.

Ionic mobility of the solvated proton and acid–base titration in a four-compartment capillary electrophoresis system

Although H+ and OH− are the most common ions in aqueous media, they are not usually observable in capillary electrophoresis (CE) experiments, because of the extensive use of buffer solutions as the background electrolyte. In the present work, we introduce CE equipment designed to allow the determination of such ions in a similar fashion as any other ion. Basically, it consists of a four-compartment piece of equipment for electrolysis-separated experiments (D. P. de Jesus et al., Anal. Chem., 2005, 77, 607). In such a system, the ends of the capillary are placed in two reservoirs, which are connected to two other reservoirs through electrolyte-filled tubes. The electrodes of the high-voltage power source are positioned in these reservoirs. Thus, the electrolysis products are kept away from the inputs of the capillary. The detection was provided by two capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detectors (C4D), each one positioned about 11 cm from the end of the capillary. Two applications were demonstrated: titration-like procedures for nanolitre samples and mobility measurements. Strong and weak acids (pKa < 5), pure or mixtures, could be titrated. The analytical curve is linear from 50 μM up to 10 mM of total dissociable hydrogen (r = 0.99899 for n = 10) in 10-nL samples. By including D2O in the running electrolyte, we could demonstrate how to measure the mixed proton/deuteron mobility. When H2O/D2O (9 : 1 v/v) was used as the solvent, the mobility was 289.6 ± 0.5 × 10−5 cm2 V−1 s−1. Due to the fast conversion of the species, this value is related to the overall behaviour of all isotopologues and isotopomers of the Zundel and Eigen structures, as well as the Stokesian mobility of proton and deuteron. The effect of neutral (o-phenanthroline) and negatively charged (chloroacetate) bases and aprotic solvent (DMSO) over the H+ mobility was also demonstrated.

Unmanned platform for long‐range remote analysis of volatile compounds in air samples

This paper describes a long‐range remotely controlled CE system built on an all‐terrain vehicle. A four‐stroke engine and a set of 12‐V batteries were used to provide power to a series of subsystems that include drivers, communication, computers, and a capillary electrophoresis module. This dedicated instrument allows air sampling using a polypropylene porous tube, coupled to a flow system that transports the sample to the inlet of a fused‐silica capillary. A hybrid approach was used for the construction of the analytical subsystem combining a conventional fused‐silica capillary (used for separation) and a laser machined microfluidic block, made of PMMA. A solid‐state cooling approach was also integrated in the CE module to enable controlling the temperature and therefore increasing the useful range of the robot. Although ultimately intended for detection of chemical warfare agents, the proposed system was used to analyze a series of volatile organic acids. As such, the system allowed the separation and detection of formic, acetic, and propionic acids with signal‐to‐noise ratios of 414, 150, and 115, respectively, after sampling by only 30 s and performing an electrokinetic injection during 2.0 s at 1.0 kV.

Determination of fluoroacetate and fluoride in blood serum by capillary zone electrophoresis using capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection.

Fluoroacetate is a highly toxic species naturally found in plants and in commercial products (compound 1080) for population control of several undesirable animal species. However, it is non‐selective and toxic to many other animals including humans, and thus its detection is very important for forensic purposes. This paper presents a sensitive and fast method for the determination of fluoroacetate in blood serum using capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection. Serum blood samples were treated with ethanol to remove proteins. The samples were analyzed in BGE containing 15 mmol/L histidine and 30 mmol/L gluconic acid (pH 3.85). The calibration curve was linear up to 75 μmol/L (R2=0.9995 for N=12). The detection limit in the blood serum was 0.15 mg/kg, which is smaller than the lethal dose for humans and other animals. Fluoride, a metabolite of the fluoroacetate defluorination, could also be detected for levels greater than 20 μmol/L, when polybrene was used for reversion of the EOF. CTAB and didecyldimethylammonium bromide are not useful for this task because of the severe reduction of the fluoride level. However, no interference was observed for fluoroacetate.

Investigating the formation and the properties of monoalkyl carbonates in aqueous medium using capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection

Although alkyl carbonic acids (ACAs) and their salts are referred to as instable species in aqueous medium, we demonstrate that a monoalkyl carbonate (MAC) can in fact be easily formed from bicarbonate and an alcohol even in the presence of a high amount of water. A CE system with two capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detectors (C4Ds) was used to obtain different parameters about these species and their reactions. Based on the mobilities obtained for a series of alcohols ranging from 1 to 5 carbons, the coefficients of diffusion and the hydrodynamic radii were calculated. When compared with the equivalent carboxylates, MACs have radii systematically smaller. Although the precise pKa values of the ACAs could not be obtained, because of the fast decomposition in acid medium, it was possible, for the first time, to show that they are below 4.0. This result suggests that the acidity of an ACA is quite similar to the first hydrogen of H2CO3. Using a new approach to indirectly calibrate the C4D, the kinetic constants and the equilibrium constants of formation were also obtained. The results suggest that the increase in the chain length makes the MACs less stable and more inert.

Ultra-fast determination of caffeine, dipyrone, and acetylsalicylic acid by capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection and identification of degradation products.

Capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (CE-C(4)D) was used for fast, simultaneous determination of dipyrone (DIP), caffeine (CAF), and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). In the same run and in less than 1min, the degradation products from DIP and ASA were also detected. In addition, the usage of the CE-C(4)D system allowed, for the first time, the detection of methylamine as a degradation product of DIP. Capillary electrophoresis with electrospray mass spectrometry experiments were carried out in order to confirm the formation of methylamine. The limits of detection by CE-C(4)D were 5, 5, and 6μmolL(-1) for CAF, DIP, and ASA, respectively. The proposed method was applied to the analysis of these compounds in pharmaceutical formulations with similar results to those achieved by HPLC (p<0.05).

Monoalkyl carbonates in carbonated alcoholic beverages

The presence of monoethyl carbonate (MEC) in beer and sparkling wine is demonstrated for the first time, as well as the formation of this species in drinks prepared with a distilled beverage and a carbonated soft drink. A capillary electrophoresis (CE) equipment with two capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detector (C(4)D) was used to identify and quantify this species. The concentrations of MEC in samples of lager beer and rum and cola drink were, respectively, 1.2 and 4.1 mmol/l, which agree with the levels of ethanol and CO2 available in these products. Previous results about the kinetics of the reaction suggest that only a small amount of MEC should be formed after the ingredients of a drink are mixed. However, in all three cases (whisky and club soda; rum with cola; gin and tonic water), MEC was quickly formed, which was attributed to the low pH of the drinks.

Fast simultaneous determination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole by capillary zone electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection.

The association of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole is a very effective with antibiotic properties, and commonly used in the treatment of a variety of infections. Due to the importance in diseases treatment of humans and also of animals, the development of methods for their quantification in commercial formulations is highly desirable. In the present study, a rapid method for simultaneous determination of these compounds using CE with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection was developed. A favorable working region for both analytes was from 12.5 to 200 μmol/L (linear responses with R > 0.999 for N = 5). Other parameters calculated were sensitivity (1.28 ± 0.10/1.45 ± 0.11) min/(μmol L), RSD (4.5%/2.0%), and LOD (1.1/3.3) μmol/L for trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole, respectively. Under this condition, the total run time was only 2.6 min. The proposed method was applied to the determination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in commercial samples and the results were compared to those obtained by using a HPLC pharmacopoeia method. This new method is advantageous for quality-control analyses of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in pharmaceuticals samples, because it is rapid and precise. Moreover, it is less laborious and demands minimum amounts of reagents in comparison to the recommended method.

Determination of halosulfuron-methyl herbicide in sugarcane juice and tomato by capillary electrophoresis–tandem mass spectrometry

A capillary electrophoresis-tandem mass spectrometry (CE-MS/MS) method for the determination of halosulfuron-methyl (HSU) residue in samples of sugarcane juice and tomato is introduced and validated. The samples were submitted to a QuEChERS extraction procedure followed by electrophoretic separation in NH4HCO3 electrolyte (adjusted to pH 8.5) and detection by electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry. The total HSU migration took place in less than 3.5 min, and the detection was accomplished by monitoring three fragmentation processes of this anion: m/z 435-182, 139, and 83. The R(2) values for concentrations up to 100 ppb (μg kg(-1)) were, respectively, 0.992, 0.992, and 0.978. Recovery values for samples spiked at three concentration levels (10, 20 and 50 ppb) were in the range of 96-104% with standard deviation not greater than 5.0%. The limit of detection for HSU in sugarcane juice and tomato was 2 ppb for both samples.

On the formation of carbonate adducts of fatty alcohols, sterols, and sugars in biological conditions

The formation and properties of carbonate adducts of some organic hydroxy compounds in aqueous medium were investigated. Fatty alcohols and sugars were chosen as representative classes of biological interest, and the medium was carbonated aqueous solution with pH ranging from 3.0 to 8.3. Capillary electrophoresis with two capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detectors (C4Ds) was used for quantitation and to obtain the mobility of the monoalkyl carbonates (MACs), which were used to determine the equilibrium and kinetic constants of the reaction as well as the diffusion coefficients. For increasing chain length of the alcohols, the equilibrium constant tends to the unit, which suggests that fatty alcohols can form the corresponding MACs. The formation of MACs for cyclohexanol and cyclopentanol also suggest the existence of similar species for sterols. Carbonate adducts of fructose, glucose, and sucrose were also detected, which suggests that these counterparts of the well‐known phosphates can also occur in the cytosol. Our calculations suggest that one in 1000 to one in 10 000 molecules of these hydroxy compounds would be available as the corresponding MAC in such a medium. Experiments carried out at pH values less than 3.0 showed that there is a catalytic effect of hydronium on the interconversion of bicarbonate and a MAC. Taking into account the great number of hydroxy compounds similar to the ones investigated and that bicarbonate is ubiquitous in living cells, one can anticipate the existence of a whole new class of carbonate adducts of these metabolites.