Mario Reta

Critical evaluation of buffering solutions for pKa determination by capillary electrophoresis

The performance of the most common and also some other less common CE buffers has been tested for the pKa determination of several types of compounds (pyridine, amines, and phenols). The selected buffers cover a pH ranging from 3.7 to 11.8. Whereas some buffers, like acetic acid/acetate, BisTrisH+/BisTris, TrisH+/Tris, CHES/CHES−, and CAPS/CAPS− can be used with all type of analytes, others like ammonium/ammonia, butylammonium/butylammonia, ethylammonium/ethylammonia, diethylammonium/diethylammonia, and hydrogenphosphate/phosphate are not recommended because they interact with a wide range of compounds. The rest of the tested buffers (dihydrogenphosphate/hydrogenphosphate, MES/MES−, HEPES/HEPES−, and boric acid/borate) can show specific interactions depending on the nature of the analytes, and their use in some applications should be restricted.

Development of an ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method for the determination of nifurtimox and benznidazole in human plasma

Dispersive ionic liquid-liquid microextraction combined with liquid chromatography and UV detection was used for the determination of two antichagasic drugs in human plasma: nifurtimox and benznidazole. The effects of experimental parameters on extraction efficiency-the type and volume of ionic liquid and disperser solvent, pH, nature and concentration of salt, and the time for centrifugation and extraction-were investigated and optimized. Matrix effects were detected and thus the standard addition method was used for quantification. This microextraction procedure yielded significant improvements over those previously reported in the literature and has several advantages, including high inter-day reproducibility (relative standard deviation=1.02% and 3.66% for nifurtimox and benznidazole, respectively), extremely low detection limits (15.7 ng mL(-1) and 26.5 ng mL(-1) for nifurtimox and benznidazole, respectively), and minimal amounts of sample and extraction solvent required. Recoveries were high (98.0% and 79.8% for nifurtimox and benznidazole, respectively). The proposed methodology offers the advantage of highly satisfactory performance in addition to being inexpensive, simple, and fast in the extraction and preconcentration of these antichagasic drugs from human-plasma samples, with these characteristics being consistent with the practicability requirements in current clinical research or within the context of therapeutic monitoring.

Analysis of non-polar heterocyclic aromatic amines in beefburguers by using microwave-assisted extraction and dispersive liquid–ionic liquid microextraction

A new sample preparation procedure to determine six heterocyclic aromatic amines (3-Amino-1,4-dimethyl-5H-pirido[4,3-b]indole, 3-Amino-1-methyl-5H-pirido[4,3-b]indole, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo-[4,5-b]pyridine, 2-amino-9H-pyrido-[2,3-b] indole, 2-amino-3-methyl-9H-pyrido-[2,3-b] indole and 2-Amino-1,6-dimethylimidazo [4,5-b]-pyridine) in cooked beefburguers by using a combination of microwave-assisted solvent extraction and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with an ionic liquid generated in situ was used. The optimized microwave extraction procedure consisted of a clean-up step with n-heptane and a subsequent dissolution step in basic media to desorb the analytes from the matrix. Next, an aqueous solution of the ionic liquid 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluorborate and sodium hexafluorphosphate was added and a water-insoluble 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorphosphate was formed within the matrix sample. The amines were analyzed by liquid chromatography with fluorescence and diode-array detection by using a typical C18 column. Peak identities were confirmed by absorbance spectral matching. Repeatability (RSD%) between 5.4% and 10.9%, enrichment factors between 19 and 30, limits of detection between 0.35 and 2.4 ng mL(-1) and recoveries between 69% and 100% were achieved. The extraction methodology is simple, rapid (about 40 min/sample) cheap and green since small amounts of non-toxic solvents are necessary.

Comparison between solvatochromic and chromatographic studies of anthraquinones in binary aqueous mixtures

Abstract The solvatochromic studies on 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ), and its symmetric dihydroxy derivatives namely 1,5-dihydroxyanthraquinone (1,5-DHAQ) and 2,6-dihydroxyanthraquinone (2,6-DHAQ) in aqueous solvent mixtures of methanol, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran and n-propanol are reported. Preferential solvation is detected in every case. However, a remarkable variation in the magnitude of the preferential solvation constant K AB is observed when the composition of the mixture is changed. This effect is attributed to the solvent-solvent interaction between components. Moreover, and although stronger dipolar interactions are to be expected between the solute and water, only preferential solvation by the organic solvent is detected in every case. These effects may be explained in terms of self association of water through hydrogen bonding and the “microheterogeneity” of the binary mixtures. Moreover, differences are observed in the solvatochromic behavior of the solutes. In the case of 2,6-DHAQ the so-called synergistic effect is observed and explained as a function of the strong hydrogen bond solute-solvents interactions. Reversed-phase liquid Chromatographic (RPLC) studies of AQ and 2,6-DHAQ in aqueous mixtures of methanol, acetonitrile and tetrahydrofuran were also performed. The results were interpreted by the Kamlet-Taft solvatochromic comparison method showing that the solvatochromic results can be correlated with certain success with RPLC data.

Solvatochromism of anthraquinone and symmetrical dihydroxy derivatives. Local interactions

Abstract The solvent effects on the electronic absorption spectra of 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ) and its symmetric dihydroxy derivatives namely 1,5-dihydroxyanthraquinone (1,5-DHAQ) and 2,6-dihydroxyanthraquinone (2,6-DHAQ) have been studied in pure solvents and some binary solvent mixtures. The frequencies of the absorption for AQ and 2,6-DHAQ are quite solvent sensitive while those for 1,5-DHAQ are not. Due to the intramolecular hydrogen bond between the CO and OH groups, no influence of solvent hydrogen bond acceptors is observed in 1,5-DHAQ. This hydrogen bond gives a stable six member cycle which is not broken even by the strongest hydrogen bond acceptor solvents used in this work, such as DMSO and DMF. The Taft and Kamlets solvatochromic comparison method was applied for AQ and 2,6-DHAQ. Aromatic solvents and aliphatic amines were not included in the correlations since they strongly deviate suggesting another type of interactions. All the π→π * bands of AQ and 2,6-DHAQ show strong influence of π * despite the fact that their dipole moment is zero. Although it would be reasonable to expect that in the absence of a solute dipole moment there is not significant orientation of solvent molecules around the solute molecules, in this case dipolar interactions between solute and solvent due to local effects might be expected. AQ may be considered as formed by two carbonyl groups weakly interacting with the benzene rings; that means that the carbonyl group can behave as an isolated dipole and independently of the other. To detect possible specific interactions between the AQ and aliphatic amines and aromatic hydrocarbons, preferential solvation in mixed solvent was investigated. It is concluded that EDA interactions are important in the solvation of AQ with these compounds as solvents.

Kamlet-taft's solvatochromic parameters for nonaqueous binary mixtures between n-hexane and 2-propanol, tetrahydrofurane, and ethyl acetate

The π*, α, and β Kamlet–Taft solvatochromic solvent parameters have been determined for nonaqueous binary mixtures commonly used in normal-phase liquid chromatography (NPLC), such as ethyl acetate n-hexane, tetrahydrofurane n-hexane, and 2-propanol n-hexane from spectroscopic data by using several UV-visible absorbing probes. Because preferential solvation is almost nonexistent for the π* probes in the different binary mixtures, we conclude that the measured values reflect quite well the dipolarity–polarizability of the bulk solution. However, strong preferential solvation for the different α and β probes in all mixtures studied here shows that the solvent parameters obtained reflect the properties of the solvation shell more than the bulk properties. This observation does not necessarily mean that the α and β values obtained will not be useful in multiple linear regressions (MLR), but results should be interpreted with care and will depend on the particular situation. Actually, results will make sense only if the particular solute under study preferentially solvates in a fashion similar to that of the α and β solvatochromic probes.

Fast RPLC analysis of pharmaceutical compounds at intermediate temperatures by using a conventional instrument

Recent developments in HPLC methods have focused on various strategies in order to increase the speed of analysis. One area of impressive growing is column technology. Today, analytical methods that propose the use of short columns packed with sub-2 μm particles installed in ultra high-pressure LC instruments are not uncommon. Another strategy consisted of heating thermally resistant columns to temperatures well above of 100°C in order to reduce eluent viscosities and, therefore, column backpressure. We discuss experimental conditions for achieving high-throughput analysis using standard instruments with a few simple modifications. The chromatographic performance of two particulated and a silica-based monolithic column operated at moderate temperatures and flow rates are compared. The monolithic column proved to be stable over several thousands column volumes at 60°C. More important, its resistance to mass transfer at this temperature was significantly reduced. Very fast separations of two different mixtures of pharmaceutical compounds, anti-inflammatory drugs and β-blockers, were achieved with the three columns at 60°C by using ACN/buffer at 5 mL/min. Excellent peak shapes of basic solutes and quite reasonable resolutions were achieved in very short analysis times with columns operated at temperatures moderately higher than the usual room temperature.

A simple and efficient HPLC method for benznidazole dosage in human breast milk.

Background: Due to migration, Chagas disease is a significant public health problem in Latin America, and in other nonendemic regions. The 2 drugs currently available for the treatment, nifurtimox and benznidazole (BNZ), are associated with a high risk of toxicity in therapeutic doses. Excretion of drug into human breast milk is a potential source of unwanted exposure and pharmacologic effects in the nursing infant. However, this phenomenon was not evaluated until now, and measurement techniques for both drugs in milk were not developed. Methods: In this work, we described the development of a simple and fast method to quantify BNZ in human milk using a pretreatment that involves acid protein precipitation followed by tandem microfiltration, and reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography/ultraviolet analysis. It is simple because it takes only 3 steps to obtain a clean extracted solution that is ready to inject into the high-performance liquid chromatography equipment. It is fast because a complete analysis of a sample takes only 36 minutes. Results: Although the human breast milk composition is very variable, and lipids are one of the most difficult compounds to clean up on a milk sample, the procedure has proven to be robust and sensitive with a limit of detection of 0.3 &mgr;g/mL and quantization of 0.9 &mgr;g/mL. Despite a 70% recovery value, which could be considered a relatively low result, this recovery is reproducible (coefficient of variation <10%) and the analytical response under the linear range is very good (r2 = 0.9969 adjusted). Real samples of human breast milk from patients in treatment with BNZ were dosed to support the validation process of the method. Conclusions: The method described is fast, specific, accurate, precise, and sufficiently sensitive in the clinical context for the quantification of BNZ in human milk. For all these reasons, it is suitable for clinical risk evaluation studies.

Predicting retention in reverse‐phase liquid chromatography at different mobile phase compositions and temperatures by using the solvation parameter model

The prediction capability of the solvation parameter model in reverse-phase liquid chromatography at different methanol-water mobile phase compositions and temperatures was investigated. By using a carefully selected set of solutes, the training set, linear relationships were established through regression equations between the logarithm of the solute retention factor, logk, and different solute parameters. The coefficients obtained in the regressions were used to create a general retention model able to predict retention in an octadecylsilica stationary phase at any temperature and methanol-water composition. The validity of the model was evaluated by using a different set (the test set) of 30 solutes of very diverse chemical nature. Predictions of logk values were obtained at two different combinations of temperature and mobile phase composition by using two different procedures: (i) by calculating the coefficients through a mathematical linear relationship in which the mobile phase composition and temperature are involved; (ii) by using a general equation, obtained by considering the previous results, in which only the experimental values of temperature and mobile phase composition are required. Predicted logk values were critically compared with the experimental values. Excellent results were obtained considering the diversity of the test set.

Partition coefficients of organic compounds between water and imidazolium-, pyridinium-, and phosphonium-based ionic liquids

The partition coefficients, PIL/w, of several compounds, some of them of biological and pharmacological interest, between water and room-temperature ionic liquids based on the imidazolium, pyridinium, and phosphonium cations, namely 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, N-octylpyridinium tetrafluorophosphate, trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride, trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium bromide, trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, and trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium dicyanamide, were accurately measured. In this way, we extended our database of partition coefficients in room-temperature ionic liquids previously reported. We employed the solvation parameter model with different probe molecules (the training set) to elucidate the chemical interactions involved in the partition process and discussed the most relevant differences among the three types of ionic liquids. The multiparametric equations obtained with the aforementioned model were used to predict the partition coefficients for compounds (the test set) not present in the training set, most being of biological and pharmacological interest. An excellent agreement between calculated and experimental log PIL/w values was obtained. Thus, the obtained equations can be used to predict, a priori, the extraction efficiency for any compound using these ionic liquids as extraction solvents in liquid-liquid extractions.