M.D.R. Gomes da Silva

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography for fingerprint pattern recognition in cachaça production

Cachaça samples were studied by means of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC/TOFMS) during the fermentation process and after ageing in different wood materials. The analyses of the aroma compounds were performed after headspace-solid phase microextraction method (HS-SPME) using an 85microm polyacrylate (PA) fibre. Fingerprint monitoring of the distillation process allowed the easy determination of the turning points of the process and high-resolution comparison of cabeça (head), coração (core) and cauda (tail) fractions. The ageing process in different wood materials was well characterised through fingerprint similarity observations; in the absence of a suitable metric for expressing the overall similarity, here we use a visual and retention time comparison to identify co-incident peaks and those that differ between samples. For quality control purposes, a simple observation of the contour plots obtained can thus allow the identification of the type of wood used in the ageing process, and the process of ageing, without further statistical treatment or peak identifications. In this manner, peaks, which discriminated most between the different mixtures studied were readily found, i.e. unique compounds were identified in each stage of the distillation process. Approximate first dimension linear retention indices (LRI) for these identified compounds were calculated in a bi-dimensional polar/non-polar column set in the GCxGC experiment and were used in conjunction with mass spectral library searching for tentative identification. Along the progression of the distillation process, 70 compounds appear to visually discriminate between samples and their retention indices are indicated, presenting good correlation with literature data.

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography for fingerprint pattern recognition in olive oils produced by two different techniques in Portuguese olive varieties Galega Vulgar, Cobrançosa e Carrasquenha

For olive oil production a metal hammer-decanter olive processing line was compared to a traditional metal hammer-press line, a discontinuous method which, if properly used, yields high-quality virgin olive oils. Galega, Carrasquenha and Cobrançosa olives (traditional Portuguese varieties) were studied. The analysis of the aroma compounds was performed after headspace-solid phase micro extraction. The analytical results obtained after comprehensive gas chromatography in tandem with time of flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC/ToFMS) for these three different olive oil varieties, from a single year harvest and processed with two different extraction technologies, were compared using statistical image treatment, by means of ImageJ software, for fingerprint recognitions and compared with principal component analysis when the area data of each chromatographic spot of the contour plots were considered. The differences used to classify the olive oils studied under different groups after principal component analysis were observed independently of the treatment used (peak areas or the sum of the pixels counts). When the individual peak areas were considered, more then 75.7% of the total variance is explained by the first two principal components while in the case where the data were subjected to image treatment 84.0% of the total variance is explained by the first two principal components. In both cases the first and second principal components present eigenvalues higher then 1.0. Fingerprint image monitoring of the aroma compounds of the olive oil allowed a rapid differentiation of the three varieties studied as well as the extraction methods used. The volatile compounds responsible for their characterization were tentatively identified in a bi-dimensional polar/non-polar column set in the GCxGC/Tof-MS apparatus. This methodology allowed the reduction of the number of compounds needed for matrices characterization, preserving the efficiency of the discrimination, when compared with the traditional methods where the identification of all peaks is needed.

Determination of Cd and Pb in biological reference materials by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry: A comparison of three ultrasonic-based sample treatment procedures

Three different ultrasonic-based sample treatment approaches, the automated ultrasonic slurry sampling, the ultrasonic assisted acid solid-liquid extraction (ASLE) and the enzymatic probe sonication (EPS) were compared and discussed for the determination of Cd and Pb by ET-AAS in biological reference materials. The sample mass chosen to perform the analysis was 10mg and the liquid volume was 1ml of nitric acid 1M. The best results were obtained with the slurry procedure with which it was possible accurate and precise determination of the Cd and Pb content in four of the five reference materials studied. Optimum performance (total metal extraction) of ASLE assisted by ultrasound for Cd was only achieved in two of the four materials assessed whereas total Pb recovery was only possible in three of the five samples. Total extraction with the enzymatic probe sonication was only obtained for Cd in oyster tissue. Neither ASLE nor EPS were able to extract Cd or Pb from spruce needles. Pb concentration obtained after EPS was found to be highly dependent from sample centrifugation speed and time.

Different multidimensional chromatographic approaches applied to the study of wine malolactic fermentation

Different multidimensional chromatographic techniques were used to study wine aroma pattern changes during malolactic fermentation (MLF). Ethyl lactate enantiomeric ratios were determined using on-line multidimensional gas chromatography. The values found agree with a spontaneous MLF. Off-line multidimensional HPLC/GC was used to deconvolute and enrich the sample and ease enantioselective chromatography. Chiral compound enantiomeric ratio changes during MLF were monitored. Evaluation of enantiomeric ratio changes during MLF has never been studied. (R,R), (S,S) and meso-butane-2,3-diol and pentane-2,4-diol (reported in wines for the first time) were submitted to untrained sensory panel tests. All stereoisomers revealed different sensory notes; pentane-2,4-diol showed an aromatic impact.

Study on selectivity of β-myrcene hydrogenation in high-pressure carbon dioxide catalysed by noble metal catalysts

Hydrogenation of monoterpenes, such as β-myrcene, in high-density carbon dioxide over 0.5 wt.% Pd, or Rh, or Ru supported on alumina was investigated. Hydrogenation catalysed by Rh and Ru is generally faster in a single supercritical (sc) phase (gaseous reagents and solid catalyst) than in a biphasic system (liquid + gas reactants + solid catalyst). The reaction catalysed by Pd occurs faster in two phases. The final composition of the reaction mixture is strongly dependent on the noble metal catalyst used for the reaction. Palladium gives mainly 2,6-dimethyloctane (≈95%), rhodium produces 2,6-dimethyloctane with a yield higher than 40%, and around 40% of 2,6-dimethyloct-2-ene, while ruthenium gives around 10% of 2,6-dimethyloctane and 50% of 2,6-dimethyloct-2-ene leaving the highest amount of unreacted β-myrcene. The Pd catalyst is highly active with an excellent selectivity in enabling the one-pot synthesis of 2,6-dimethyloctane through β-myrcene hydrogenation in the presence of scCO2. The overall activity of the noble metal catalysts decreased in the order Pd > Rh > Ru. The problem of leaching of the active metal from the catalyst rod was also investigated.

Characterization of the volatile fraction emitted by Pinus spp. by one- and two-dimensional chromatographic techniques with mass spectrometric detection

The chemical composition of the needles of P. pinea, P. pinaster, P. halepensis, P. nigra, P. brutia, P. patula, P. radiata, P. taeda, P. elliotti, P. kesiya, P. sylvestris and P. eldarica was investigated. Headspace solid-phase microextraction and steam distillation extraction were used to collect the volatile fractions. Samples were analyzed using one-dimensional gas chromatography (1D-GC) and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC) associated with a quadrupole and a time-of-flight mass detectors. Results showed that the analytical capabilities of 1D-GC are partially limited by the separation power of the columns. The higher sensibility and the absence of peak skewing of the time-of-flight mass analyzer, with the use of automated peak finding and deconvolution algorithms, allowed for the detection of trace components with qualitative full spectra and the extraction of true mass spectra from coeluting compounds, promoting their reliable identification and thus significantly improving results obtained by 1D-GC/MS, when using a quadrupole mass analyzer. The use of GC x GC resulted in enhanced separation efficiency and increased signal to noise ratio (sensitivity) of the analytes, maximizing mass spectra quality and improving compound detection and identification. This work shows the use of 1D-GC/ToFMS for the analysis of pine needles volatiles, achieving the detection of 177 compounds, that is more than twice the number previously identified by standard 1D-GC/MS. The analysis by GC x GC for the same sample allowed the detection of 212 compounds. The enantioselective GC x GC analysis performed for all the Pinus spp. under study achieved the detection of 422 different compounds. Cross-over phenomena according to operational conditions are highlighted and discussed.

Mercury determination by FI-CV-AAS after the degradation of organomercurials with the aid of an ultrasonic field : The important role of the hypochlorite ion

Due to new findings, the methodology based on room-temperature ultrasonic irradiation (sonolysis) for conversion of organomercurials into inorganic mercury [J.L. Capelo, I. Lavilla, C. Bendicho, Anal. Chem. 72 (2000) 4979-4984.] is further investigated. Inorganic mercury is selectively determined by Flow Injection-Cold Vapour Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FI-CV-AAS) using SnCl(2)/HCl. Complete oxidation of methyl-mercury can be accomplished within 90 s whilst phenyl and diphenyl-mercury can be degraded within 10s using a 50% sonication amplitude (100 W nominal power) provided by a probe ultrasonic device (20.5 kHz frequency) and a 1 mol L(-1) HCl liquid medium with the presence of hypochlorite ion. The importance of hypochlorite in reduction of organomercurials by stannous chloride is highlighted. Oxidation kinetics indicated a pseudo first-order reaction for methyl-mercury, phenyl-mercury, and diphenyl-mercury.

Differentiation of ten pine species from central portugal by monoterpene enantiomer-selective composition analysis using multidimensional gas chromatography

SummaryThe composition of the volatile terpenes emitted by different trees has been successfully used as markers in a wide variety of studies such as chemotaxonomy. In this work discrimination among ten pine species,P. pinea, P. pinaster, P.brutia, P. elliotti, P.halepensis, P. kesiya, P. radiata, P. patula, P. sylvestris, andP. taeda was achieved by analyzing the relative composition of their volatile emissions. The analysis was performed after simultaneous distillation extraction; 16 monoterpenes were identified. My means of principal component analysis it was shown that discrimination among species could be maximized by taking into account three monoterpenes only-α-pinene, β-pinene, and limonene. In a second stage of the work the extracts were submitted to enantiomer-selective multidimensional gas chromatography (MDGC). The enantiomer ratio was determined after separation on a tailor-made 2,3-dimethyl-6-O-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-β-cyclodextrin analytical column. Application of principal component, analysis to the samples enabled their comparative characterization.

New chiral imidazolium ionic liquids from isomannide

New chiral bis and mono-imidazolium ionic liquids derived from isomannide were synthesized. The structural features of the chiral organic cations impart a special arrangement of the chiral cavity. The new chiral chloride salts of isomannide derivatives are pivotal compounds for the synthesis of different organic ionic liquids. After metathesis different anions were associated to the chiral cations providing a new class of chiral ionic liquids.

4.02 – Sampling Techniques for the Determination of Volatile Components in Grape Juice, Wine and Alcoholic Beverages

When considering the analysis of volatile organic compounds the first step, sample preparation, is probably underestimated when compared with the chromatographic separation or with the analyte identification by mass spectrometry. Wines and alcoholic beverages are very complex matrices. Volatile compounds present in these beverages belong to several different chemical families and some of them, which have real impact on aroma characterization, are present in very low amounts. In addition to this known complexity, the aroma profile is not static and changes from the outset of the technological process almost until beverage consumption. The composition and quantity of the detected compounds strongly depends on the extraction technique used to remove and isolate them from their matrix. An ideal sampling method, for all kinds of compounds and matrices, does not exist, and no single isolation technique produces an extract that replicates the original sample. This chapter discusses liquid-phase, solid-phase, and supercritical fluid extraction methods, together with headspace microextraction methodologies and newly developed microextraction methods. The choice of an ideal procedure depends on the objective of the study, the target compounds, the matrix, and the sensitivity of the analytical method. Advantages or disadvantages of each method are also discussed.