Michael A. Koupparis

Twenty Years of Evaporative Light Scattering Detection

Evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) is a quasi-universal detector for liquid, countercurrent and supercritical fluid chromatography, since it can detect any analyte less volatile than the mobile phase. Operation principle mainly consists of three successive processes: nebulization of the chromatographic effluent; evaporation of the mobile phase; measurement of the scattered light. After 20 years of development, its usage appears significant advantages and potentialities as well as several limitations. In this paper, operation principles, technological innovations, methodological approaches, chemometrics, application areas (pharmaceuticals, foods and beverages, natural products, biological samples and polymers), potentialities and limitations of ELSD are thoroughly reviewed. A bibliography of 83 representative references is given.

Automated flow-injection spectrophotometric determination of catecholamines (epinephrine and isoproterenol) in pharmaceutical formulations based on ferrous complex formation

A novel automated flow-injection spectrophotometric method for the determination of catecholamines (epinephrine and isoproterenol) has been developed based on the formation of their coloured complexes with Fe(II) in aminoacetic-carbonate buffer pH 8.3 and measuring of the absorbance peaks at the lambda(max) of 530 nm. A fully automated FIA system controlled by home-made software (FIA-MOD) was used for optimising the chemical and manifold parameters and running of routine measurements. The calibration graph was linear in the range of 5-200 mg l(-1) for epinephrine with an RSD of 0.24% (n = 5; c = 150 mg l(-1)) and 10-300 mg(-1) for isoproterenol with an RSD of 0.13% (n = 5; c = 200 mg l(-1)). Measurement throughput was 120 h(-1) ensuring a sample throughput of 40 h(-1) analysed in triplicate. Common excipients for tablets and injections were found not interfering. The proposed method was applied for the assay of various commercial pharmaceutical formulations containing epinephrine and isoproterenol and for the content uniformity test for the isoproterenol tablets. The assay results with RSD 2-4% (n = 3) were comparable with those obtained with the official USP XXIII methods (mean difference 1.9%).

Recent trends in biomonitoring of bisphenol A, 4-t-octylphenol, and 4-nonylphenol.

Bisphenol A (BPA), 4-t-octylphenol (4-t-OP), and 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) are man-made alkylphenolic environmental contaminants possessing controversial endocrine disruption properties. Nowadays, an increased interest is raised for their accurate determination in biological media in order to estimate the exposure to these compounds and the associated health risk. The aim of this review is to present the available analytical methodologies for biomonitoring these three EDCs in human population. In non-occupational human exposure, they are detected in human matrices in trace level concentrations, commonly lower than 1ng/mL. The use of mass spectrometry based methods is particularly emphasized due to their well known superiority over sensitivity, selectivity and precision, even in difficult matrices, such as blood plasma and serum. Recent and most applicable sample preparation techniques are thoroughly presented. The benefits of solid phase extraction (SPE) and expected developments are demonstrated. Recent results from exposure assessment and epidemiologic studies for BPA, 4-t-OP and 4-NP are summarized and future trends are discussed.

Migration of bisphenol A from polycarbonate baby bottles under real use conditions

Migration of the potential endocrine disrupter, bisphenol A (BPA), from 31 polycarbonate (PC) baby bottles into aqueous food simulants was studied under real repetitive use, using a sensitive and fully validated liquid chromatographic method with fluorescence detection. Confirmation of the presence of BPA was performed by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). The effects of cleaning in a dishwasher or with a brush, sterilization with boiling water and the temperature of migration were examined. It was shown that temperature was the crucial factor for the migration of BPA from the plastic bottles to water. All samples released BPA in the concentration range 2.4–14.3 µg kg−1 when filled with boiled water and left at ambient temperature for 45 min. The decrease of BPA release in the sterilization water and in the food simulant over 12 cycles of use indicated that the hypothesis of polymer degradation in water is dubious. Estimated infantile dietary exposure, regarding the use of PC baby bottles, ranged between 0.2 and 2.2 µg kg−1 bw day−1, which is below the Tolerable Daily Intake of 50 µg kg−1 bw recently established by EFSA.

Molecularly imprinted polymers for bisphenol A for HPLC and SPE from water and milk.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for bisphenol A (BPA) were prepared by two synthetic routes: semi-covalent and noncovalent methodology. The molecular imprinting effect was evaluated using the polymers in HPLC and SPE. Polymers prepared with noncovalent mode were proven more effective. These polymers were applied in SPE facilitating selective retention of BPA from bottled water and milk. The developed sample preparation was simple and efficient comprising only dilution of milk and MISPE prior to LC-MS analysis. Overall MISPE enhanced sample clean-up. Compared with control nonimprinted polymers and conventional C18 SPE cartridges, the MIPs exhibited selective analyte recognition. The method provided quantitative BPA recoveries, very good reproducibility (% RSDs lower than 7%), and low LOD (0.2 ng/g). MIP interacts similarly with deuterated BPA allowing its use as internal standard in LC-MS. The most critical parameters of MISPE were the organic content in loading-washing medium and the washing volume. Low flow rates in the elution step enhanced extraction recovery. Important advantages of the MIP were: the high breakthrough volumes (> 500 mL of water), high mass capacity (> 10 ng/mg of MIP sorbent), good linearity, and good stability in performance for over 35 cycles of use.

Hydrophilic interaction vs ion pair liquid chromatography for the determination of streptomycin and dihydrostreptomycin residues in milk based on mass spectrometric detection.

Streptomycin (STR) and dihydrostreptomycin (DHSTR) are two of the most common aminoglycoside antibiotics used in veterinary medicine. The physicochemical properties of both substances, make their determination challenging. In the present study the development of methods based on ion-pair chromatography (IPC) and on hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC), for the determination of the above mentioned aminoglycosides in the range of 100-1000 μg L(-1) is described. The two methods were validated according to EU requirements for residues in food. The recoveries for the IPC method were 69.3% and 56.5% of STR and DHSTR, respectively, and for HILIC method 85.5% and 72.3%, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precision, studied at 100, 200 and 300 μg kg⁻¹ levels in milk samples, gave %RSD ≤ 13 for both methods. LOQs for the HILIC method were 14 μg kg⁻¹ for both analytes and for the IPC method were 109 and 31 μg kg⁻¹, for STR and DHSTR, respectively. The sensitivity of the HILIC method is 80 and 210 times greater than that of the ICP method, for STR and DHSTR, respectively.

Drug dissolution studies in milk using the automated flow injection serial dynamic dialysis technique

Abstract The application of flow injection serial dynamic dialysis (FISDD) technique to monitor dissolution studies in complex media is described. The method is based on the study of the kinetics of the simultaneous dissolution and dialysis processes. Commercial formulations of salicylamide, propantheline bromide, nitrofurantoin and acetaminophen were used to investigate the utility of the FISDD technique for studying the dissolution of drugs in low fat milk. The latter was utilized as a food simulating medium. Dissolution studies were also conducted in phosphate buffer of pH 6.5. In each case the FISDD system was coupled with the rotating basket apparatus. The determination of the dialyzable drugs was performed automatically by the FIA analyzer. A fully automated monitoring of dissolution of drugs in milk and buffer was achieved. In all cases the dissolution rate of drugs in milk was lower than the corresponding rate in the aqueous buffer. The potential significance of this system with respect to the in vitro study of dissolution of drugs in food simulating media is discussed. This system could be used either to reveal or explore food-drug and/or food-formulation interactions anticipated or observed in vivo.

Automated flow-injection determination of sulfonamides by the Bratton−Marshall reaction for clinical analysis, assays and dissolution studies of formulations

Abstract The automated flow-injection determination described for sulfonamides (2–20 mg l−1, 5×10−4−5×10−3 M) is based on the Bratton-Marshall reaction. Destruction of the excess of nitrous acid is not required and the measurement rate is 72 per hour. Precision is excellent. The method is applied for the determination of sulfonamides in control serum and urine samples, in feeds and in formulations (by using the pseudo-titration technique), and for automated dissolution studies of tablets. The method was evaluated by analyzing spiked sample solutions; the recoveries obtained were 94–101% for serum, 98–103% for urine, 98–105% for feeds and 96–105% for formulations. Comparison of the pseudo-titrimetric method for sulfonamide assays with the HPLC method gave a mean difference of 1.3%.

Kinetic study of the determination of hydrazines, isoniazid and sodium azide by monitoring their reactions with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, by means of a fluoride-selective electrode.

A kinetic potentiometric method is described for the determination of hydrazines (hydrazine, phenylhydrazine, hydralazine and procarbazine), isoniazid and sodium azide, based on monitoring their reactions at 25 degrees and pH 9.0 with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene by means of a fluoride-selective electrode. Initial-rate and fixed-time methods were used to construct calibration graphs, generally over the range 1 x 10(-4)-1 x 10(-2)M. Hydralazine, procarbazine and isoniazid were determined in commercial formulations with a precision and error of 2-3% and the results were comparable with those of the official methods. The presence of common excipients and concomitant drugs in combination products do not interfere and the method can be used for coloured and cloudy sample solutions. A kinetic study of the reactions was made and the overall second-order rate constants are given. Base catalysis was observed. The fluoride-selective electrode is shown to be a valuable tool for monitoring fluoride-liberating organic reactions in kinetic studies and kinetic analysis.

Determination of the dissociation constants of the cephalosporins cefepime and cefpirome using UV spectrometry and pH potentiometry.

UV spectrometry and pH potentiometry were used for the determination and direct characterization of the dissociation constants of cefepime (Cef) and cefpirome. The absorbance/pH profiles at two analytical wavelengths and different conditions were assessed and found to conform to those of diprotic acids. The titration curves indicated a triprotic acid profile with two overlapping dissociation constants. The comparison of the results of both techniques permitted the direct attribution of the three dissociation constants to the carboxylic group at position 4 of the Delta-3 cephem nucleus, the aminothiazole group and the amide group at position 7 of the Delta-3 cephem nucleus. Stability studies of Cef in alkaline solutions were also performed in order to evaluate the accuracy of the measurements carried out for the determination of the third pK(a) value. The experimental pK(a) values were compared to the corresponding predicted values derived by PALLAS/PKALC and Advanced Chemical Development (ACD) software packages.