Markus Himmelsbach

Analysis of melamine in milk powder by CZE using UV detection and hyphenation with ESI quadrupole/TOF MS detection

An easy to employ method for the determination of melamine in milk powder samples using CZE with either UV or MS detection is presented. The separation capabilities of CZE allowed keeping sample preparation rather simple. Before analysis, milk powder samples were dissolved in water, de‐fatted with dichloromethane and diluted with ACN to precipitate the protein, filtrated and injected without further pretreatment. The developed CZE method allowed the determination of melamine in milk powder down to a level of 0.50 mg/kg using UV detection and 0.25 mg/kg when ESI quadrupole/TOF MS was employed for detection.

10 years of MS instrumental developments--impact on LC-MS/MS in clinical chemistry.

The combination of liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is a powerful and indispensable analytical tool that is widely applied in many areas of chemistry, medicine, pharmaceutics and biochemistry. In this review recent MS instrumental developments are presented as part of a special issue covering various aspects of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in clinical chemistry. Improvements, new inventions as well as new combinations in ion source technology are described focusing on dual or multimode sources and atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI). Increasing demands regarding sensitivity, accuracy, resolution and both quantitation and identification guarantee on-going improvements in mass analyzer technology. This paper discusses new hybrid MS instruments that can perform novel scan modes as well as high-resolution mass spectrometers (HRMS) that finally seem to be able to overcome, or at least significantly reduce, their weaknesses in quantitative applications. Ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IMMS) itself is not an invention of the last 10 years, but a lot of progress was made within the last decade that reveals the potential benefits of this combination. This is clearly reflected by the increased number of commercially available instruments and the various designs of IMMS are covered in detail in this review. Selected applications for all these instrumental developments are given focusing on the perspective of clinical chemistry.

Direct ionization methods in mass spectrometry: An overview.

Within this paper a sub-group of ambient ionization mass spectrometry namely direct ionization mass spectrometry techniques are reviewed. They are characterized by the generation of an electrospray directly from the sample investigated. Prominent representatives include paper spray mass spectrometry, tissue spray mass spectrometry, probe electrospray ionization or thin-layer chromatography mass spectrometry. Applications of all major direct ionization techniques within different fields such as biomedical analysis, analysis of natural products, analysis of technical products and food analysis, just to name a few, are discussed and relevant parameters are listed in five Tables.

Comparison of different extraction methods for the determination of statin drugs in wastewater and river water by HPLC/Q-TOF-MS.

Three preconcentration techniques including solid phase extraction (SPE), dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and stir-bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) have been optimized and compared for the analysis of six hypolipidaemic statin drugs (atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin and simvastatin) in wastewater and river water samples by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC/Q-TOF-MS). Parameters that affect the efficiency of the different extraction methods such as solid phase material, sample pH and elution solvent in the case of SPE; the type and volume of the extracting and dispersive solvent, pH of sample, salt addition and number of extraction steps in the case of DLLME; and the stirring time, pH of sample, sample volume and salt addition for SBSE were evaluated. SPE allowed the best recoveries for most of the analytes. Pravastatin was poorly extracted by DLLME and could not be determined. SBSE was only applicable for lovastatin and simvastatin. However, despite the limitations of having poorer recovery than SPE, DLLME and SBSE offered some advantages because they are simple, require low organic solvent volumes and present low matrix effects. DLLME required less time of analysis, and for SBSE the stir-bar was re-usable. SPE, DLLME and SBSE provided method detection limits in the range of 0.04-11.2 ng L(-1), 0.10-17.0 ng L(-1) for 0.52-2.00 ng L(-1), respectively, in real samples. To investigate and compare their applicability, SPE, DLLME and SBSE procedures were applied to the detection of statin drugs in effluent wastewater and river samples.

Air-stable organic semiconductors based on 6,6′-dithienylindigo and polymers thereof

Herein we report on the synthesis and properties of 6,6′-dithienylindigo (DTI), as well as its solubilized N,N′-di(tert-butoxy carbonyl) derivative (tBOC-DTI). tBOC-DTI can be electropolymerized and thermally interconverted into films of poly(DTI). Thin films of DTI afford quasi-reversible 2-electron reduction and oxidation electrochemistry, and demonstrate ambipolar charge transport in organic field-effect transistors with a hole mobility of up to 0.11 cm2 V−1 s−1 and an electron mobility of up to 0.08 cm2 V−1 s−1. Operation of the p-channel shows excellent air stability, with minimal degradation over a 60 day stressing study. Poly(DTI) can be reversibly oxidized and reduced over hundreds of cycles while remaining immobilized on the working electrode surface, and additionally shows a pronounced photoconductivity response in a diode device geometry. This work shows the potential of extended indigo derivatives for organic electronic applications, demonstrating impressive stability under ambient conditions.

Improved analysis of melamine-formaldehyde resins by capillary zone electrophoresis-mass spectrometry using ion-trap and quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometers.

An improved method based on capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) coupled to either ion-trap (IT) mass spectrometry (MS) or quadrupole-time-of-flight (Q-TOF) MS for the analysis of melamine-formaldehyde condensates is presented. Employing a formic acid-based electrolyte containing 50% acetonitrile (ACN) and MS detection up to 13 compounds could be determined in lab-made resins, synthesized by mixing formaldehyde and melamine in different ratios ranging from 1:1.5 to 1:4. The use of a Q-TOF-MS for detection allowed the assignment of molecular formulas for all 13 substances with high accuracy.

Capillary electrokinetic chromatography of insulin and related synthetic analogues

With the implementation of recombinant DNA technology in the pharmaceutical industry, some synthetic insulins have been developed in order to improve the therapy of diabetes. These analogues differ only slightly in the amino acid sequence, therefore displaying a great challenge for analytical chemistry. Within the work presented in this paper, capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) as micelle-forming agent, and microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) with microemulsions consisting of SDS, n-octane and 1-butanol were investigated for the separation of human insulin and five synthetic analogues. Best results were achieved with a solvent-modified MEKC system consisting of 100mM sodium dodecyl sulphate and 15% acetonitrile in 10mM borate buffer (pH 9.2). A similar system based on perfluorooctanoic acid as micelle-forming agent in ammonium acetate (pH 9.2) was successfully employed for the hyphenation with a quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometer via a sheath-flow interface. In this case, detection limits at 10mg/L could be achieved.

Rhodium-Coordinated Poly(arylene-ethynylene)-alt-Poly(arylene- vinylene) Copolymer Acting as Photocatalyst for Visible-Light- Powered NAD + /NADH Reduction

A 2,2′-bipyridyl-containing poly(arylene-ethynylene)-alt-poly(arylene-vinylene) polymer, acting as a light-harvesting ligand system, was synthesized and coupled to an organometallic rhodium complex designed for photocatalytic NAD+/NADH reduction. The material, which absorbs over a wide spectral range, was characterized by using various analytical techniques, confirming its chemical structure and properties. The dielectric function of the material was determined from spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements. Photocatalytic reduction of nucleotide redox cofactors under visible light irradiation (390–650 nm) was performed and is discussed in detail. The new metal-containing polymer can be used to cover large surface areas (e.g. glass beads) and, due to this immobilization step, can be easily separated from the reaction solution after photolysis. Because of its high stability, the polymer-based catalyst system can be repeatedly used under different reaction conditions for (photo)chemical reduction of NAD+. With this concept, enzymatic, photo-biocatalytic systems for solar energy conversion can be facilitated, and the precious metal catalyst can be recycled.

Asymmetric Synthesis of 2,3-Dihydrobenzofurans by a [4+1] Annulation Between Ammonium Ylides and In Situ Generated o-Quinone Methides

Abstract A highly enantio‐ and diastereoselective [4+1] annulation between in situ generated ammonium ylides and o‐quinone methides for the synthesis of a variety of 2,3‐dihydrobenzofurans has been developed. The key factors controlling the reactivity and stereoselectivity were systematically investigated by experimental and computational means and the energy profiles obtained provide a deeper insight into the mechanistic details of this reaction.

A sensitive non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometric method for multiresidue analyses of β-agonists in pork.

Non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (NACE-MS) was developed for trace analyses of beta-agonists (i.e. clenbuterol, salbutamol and terbutaline) in pork. The NACE was in 18 mM ammonium acetate in methanol-acetonitrile-glacial acetic acid (66 : 33 : 1, v/v/v) using a voltage of 28 kV. The hyphenation of CE with a time-of-flight MS was performed by electrospray ionization interface employing 5 mM ammonium acetate in methanol-water (80 : 20, v/v) as the sheath liquid at a flow rate of 2 microL/min. Method sensitivity was enhanced by a co-injection technique (combination of hydrodynamic and electrokinetic injection) using a pressure of 50 mbar and a voltage of 10 kV for 12 s. The method was validated in comparison with HPLC-MS-MS. The NACE-MS procedure provided excellent detection limits of 0.3 ppb for all analytes. Method linearity was good (r(2) > 0.999, in a range of 0.8-1000 ppb for all analytes). Precision showed %RSDs of <17.7%. Sample pre-treatment was carried out by solid-phase extraction using mixed mode reversed phase/cation exchange cartridges yielding recoveries between 69 and 80%. The NACE-MS could be successfully used for the analysis of beta-agonists in pork samples and results showed no statistical differences from the values reported by the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand using HPLC-MS-MS method.