Róbert Bodor

Capillary electrophoresis of inorganic anions

This review deals with the separation mechanisms applied to the separation of inorganic anions by capillary electrophoresis (CE) techniques. It covers various CE techniques that are suitable for the separation and/or determination of inorganic anions in various matrices, including capillary zone electrophoresis, micellar electrokinetic chromatography, electrochromatography and capillary isotachophoresis. Detection and sample preparation techniques used in CE separations are also reviewed. An extensive part of this review deals with applications of CE techniques in various fields (environmental, food and plant materials, biological and biomedical, technical materials and industrial processes). Attention is paid to speciations of anions of arsenic, selenium, chromium, phosphorus, sulfur and halogen elements by CE.

Isotachophoresis and isotachophoresis : zone electrophoresis separations of inorganic anions present in water samples on a planar chip with column-coupling separation channels and conductivity detection

The use of a poly(methylmethacrylate) chip, provided with two separation channels in the column-coupling (CC) arrangement and on-column conductivity detection sensors, to electrophoretic separations of a group of inorganic anions (chloride, nitrate, sulfate, nitrite, fluoride and phosphate) that need to be monitored in various environmental matrices was studied. The electrophoretic methods employed in this study included isotachophoresis (ITP) and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with on-line coupled ITP sample pretreatment (ITP-CZE). Hydrodynamic and electroosmotic flows of the solution in the separation compartment of the CC chip were suppressed and electrophoresis was a dominant transport process in the separations performed by these methods. ITP separations on the chip provided rapid resolutions of sub-nmol amounts of the complete group of the studied anions and made possible rapid separations and reproducible quantitations of macroconstituents currently present in water samples (chloride, nitrate and sulfate). However, concentration limits of detection attainable under the employed ITP separating conditions (2-3 x 10(-5) mol/l) were not sufficient for the detection of typical anionic microconstituents in water samples (nitrite, fluoride and phosphate). On the other hand, these anions could be detected at 5-7 x 10(-7) mol/l concentrations by the conductivity detector in the CZE stage of the ITP-CZE combination on the CC chip. A sample clean-up performed in the ITP stage of the combination effectively complemented such a detection sensitivity and nitrite, fluoride and phosphate could be reproducibly quantified also in samples containing the macroconstituents at 10(4) higher concentrations. ITP-CZE analyses of tap, mineral and river water samples showed that the CC chip offers means for rapid and reproducible procedures to the determination of these anions in water (4-6 min analysis times under our working conditions). Here, the ITP sample pretreatment concentrated the analytes and removed nanomol amounts of the macroconstituents from the separation compartment of the chip within 3-4 min. Both the ITP and ITP-CZE procedures required no or only minimum manipulations with water samples before their analyses on the chip. For example, tap water samples were analyzed directly while a short degassing of mineral water (to prevent bubble formation during the separation) and filtration of river water samples (to remove particulates and colloids) were the only operations needed in this respect.

Isotachophoresis and isotachophoresis‐zone electrophoresis of food additives on a chip with column‐coupling separation channels

The use of a poly(methylmethacrylate) chip, provided with two separation channels in the column-coupling (CC) arrangement and on-column conductivity detection sensors, to isotachophoresis (ITP) and ITP-ZE separation and determination of food additives was studied. A group of preservatives and taste intensifying components examined in this study included benzoate, sorbate, p-hydroxybenzoic acid esters (parabens), and glutamate, while various food products and cosmetics represented different matrices (proteins, fat, organic acids, carbohydrates, salts). ITP on the CC chip was found suitable for the determination of glutamate in the food products with only a minimum sample preparation (dilution, filtration). It also provided a rapid and simple procedure for the determination of parabens in cosmetics. On the other hand, ITP experiments with benzoate and sorbate revealed that sample preparations providing high analyte/matrix concentration ratios are essential when these food preservatives are to be determined by ITP on the chip. ITP-ZE combination on the same chip provided a solution to this problem by integrating an efficient ITP sample preparation (concentration of the preservatives and removal of the main part of the matrix), capable of processing μL sample volumes, with a final ZE separation and sensitive detection (low μmol/L limits of detection) of the preservatives. In both ITP and ITP-ZE separations on the CC chip no interference from food matrices was found.

Determination of organic acids and inorganic anions in wine by isotachophoresis on a planar chip.

Isotachophoretic (ITP) separation and determination of a group of 13 organic and inorganic acids, currently present in wines, on a poly(methyl methacrylate) chip provided with on-column conductivity detection was a subject of a detailed study performed in this work. Experiments with the ITP electrolyte systems proposed to the separation of anionic constituents present in wine revealed that their separation at a low pH (2.9) provides the best results in terms of the resolution. Using a 94 mm long separation channel of the chip, the acids could be resolved within 10-15 min also in instances when their concentrations corresponded to those at which they typically occur in wines. A procedure suitable to the ITP determination of organic acids responsible for some important organoleptic characteristics of wines (tartaric, lactic, malic and citric acids) was developed. Concentrations of 2-10 mg/l of these acids represented their limits of quantitation for a 0.9 microl volume sample loop on the chip. A maximum sample load on the chip, under the preferred separating conditions, was set by the resolution of malate and citrate. A complete resolution of these constituents in wine samples was reached when their molar concentration ratio was 20:1 or less. ITP analyses of a large series of model and wine samples on the chip showed that qualitative indices [RSH (relative step height) values] of the acids, based on the response of the conductivity detector, reproduced with RSD better than 2% while reproducibilities of the determination of the acids of our interest characterized RSD values better than 3.5%.

Determination of bromate in drinking water by zone electrophoresis-isotachophoresis on a column-coupling chip with conductivity detection.

The use of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) on‐line coupled with isotachophoresis (ITP) sample pretreatment (ITP‐CZE) on a poly(methylmethacrylate) chip, provided with two separation channels in the column‐coupling (CC) arrangement and on‐column conductivity detection sensors, to the determination of bromate in drinking water was investigated. Hydrodynamic and electroosmotic flows of the solution in the separation compartment of the chip were suppressed and electrophoresis was a dominant transport process in the ITP‐CZE separations. A high sample load capacity, linked with the use of ITP in this combination, made possible loading of the samples by a 9.2 νL sample injection channel of the chip. In addition, bromate was concentrated by a factor of 103 or more in the ITP stage of the separation and, therefore, its transfer to the CZE stage characterized negligible injection dispersion. This, along with a favorable electric conductivity of the carrier electrolyte solution, contributed to a 20 nmol/L (2.5 ppb) limit of detection for bromate in the CZE stage. Sample cleanup, integrated into the ITP stage, effectively complemented such a detection sensitivity and bromate could be quantified in drinking water matrices when its concentration was 80 nmol/L (10 ppb) or slightly less while the concentrations of anionic macroconstituent (chloride, sulfate, nitrate) in the loaded sample corresponding to a 2 mmol/L (70 ppm) concentration of chloride were still tolerable. The samples containing macroconstituents at higher concentrations required appropriate dilutions and, consequently, bromate in these samples could be directly determined only at proportionally higher concentrations.

Separations of inorganic anions based on their complexations with α-cyclodextrin by capillary zone electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection

Abstract Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) separations of inorganic anions based on their host–guest complex equilibria with α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) were investigated. α-CD employed as a host was found to influence selectively the effective mobilities most of the studied anions (chloride, bromide, iodide, sulfate, nitrite, nitrate, fluoride, phosphate). Its complexing ability combined with a low pH of the carrier electrolyte solution provided working conditions suitable for rapid CZE separations of the anions. For example, iodide and chloride present in the injected sample in a concentration ratio of ca. 1:2·103 could be separated in less than 100 s and seven of the above anions (α-CD failed to resolve chloride and bromide) were baseline-resolved in less than 120 s. A high overall selectivity of the carrier electrolytes combining the host–guest equilibria with a low pH in the analysis of highly complex samples is illustrated by CZE separations of inorganic anions present in milk. Here, no interferences to the separations of inorganic anions due to co-migrations of organic acids present in milk were observed also when a 200 nl volume of a diluted (1:10) milk sample was loaded onto the column. A contactless conductivity detector used for the detection of anions in this work proved very reliable. Under our separating conditions it provided for the studied anions concentration limits of detection in the range of 0.5–1.4 μmol/l (a 200-nl sample injection volume) when the separations were carried out in a 300 μm I.D. capillary tube made of polytetrafluoroethylene.

Trace analysis of glyphosate in water by capillary electrophoresis on a chip with high sample volume loadability

A new method for the determination of trace glyphosate (GLYP), non-selective pesticide, by CZE with online ITP pre-treatment of drinking waters on a column-coupling (CC) chip has been developed. CC chip was equipped with two injection channels of 0.9 and 9.9 μL volumes, two separation channels of 9.3 μL total volume and a pair of conductivity detectors. A very effective ITP sample clean-up performed in the first channel at low pH (3.2) was introduced for quick CZE resolution and detection of GLYP carried out at higher pH (6.1) in the second channel on the CC chip. The LOD for GLYP was estimated at 2.5 μg/L (15 nmol/L) using a 9.9 |mL volume of the injection channel. ITP-CZE analyses of model and real samples have provided very favorable intra-day (0.1-1.2% RSD) and inter-day (2.9% RSD) repeatabilities of the migration time for GLYP while 0.2-6.9% RSD values were typical for the peak area data. Recoveries of GLYP in spiked drinking water varied in the range of 99-109%. A minimum pre-treatment of drinking water (degassing and dilution) and a short analysis time (ca. 10 min) were distinctive features of ITP-CZE determinations of GLYP on the CC chip with high sample volume loaded, as well.

Determination of nitrite and nitrate in cerebrospinal fluid by microchip electrophoresis with microsolid phase extraction pre-treatment.

A new method for the determination of nitrite and nitrate, indicators of various neurological diseases (meningitis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons disease) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) on an electrophoresis chip was developed. An on-line combination of isotachophoresis (ITP) with capillary electrophoresis (CE) on a poly(methylmethacrylate) chip assembled with coupled separation channels (CC) and contact conductivity detectors was employed. ITP separations performed at low pH (3.6) in the first separation channel enabled a highly selective transfer of the analytes to the second CE stage working under micellar conditions implemented by zwitterionic surfactant, 3-(N,N-dimethyldodecylammonio)-propanesulfonate. The proposed method achieved low limits of detection varied from 0.2 to 0.4μgL(-1) when the sample volume injected onto the chip (9.9μl) was almost the same as the volume of both separation channels. Preferable working conditions on the CC chip (suppressed hydrodynamic and electroosmotic flow) contributed for reproducible migration velocities (intra-day reproducibility up to 2.1% RSD) and determinations of trace concentrations of nitrite and nitrate (intra-day precision up to 3.0% RSD). Huge amount of chloride present in CSF (approx. 4.5gL(-1)) was removed from analyzed CSF samples by microsolid phase extraction performed on silver-form resin prior to the ITP-CE analysis. Developed method provided fast (approx. 20min total analysis time) and reliable determinations of trace nitrite and nitrate and could be fully integrated into the analysis of CSF samples.

Conductivity detection cell for capillary zone electrophoresis with a solution mediated contact of the separated constituents with the detection electrodes

A contact conductivity detection cell for capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with an electrolyte solution mediated contact of the separated constituents with the detection electrodes (ESMC cell) was developed in this work. This new approach to the conductivity sensing in CZE is intended to eliminate detection disturbances due to electrode reactions and adsorption of the separated constituents when these are coming into direct contact with the detection electrodes. An optimum detection performance of the cell was achieved when the carrier electrolyte solution mediated the electric contact of the detection electrodes with the separated constituents. Different compositions of the mediator and carrier electrolyte solutions led to large drifts of the detection signals. Isotachophoresis experiments performed in this context with the ESMC cell revealed that origins of these drifts are in transport processes (diffusion and electromigration) between the detection compartment and the detection electrodes in the cell. These processes affected, to some extent, other analytically relevant performance parameters of the ESMC cell of the present construction as well [e.g., concentration limits of detection (LODs), a contribution of the cell to the band broadening]. For example, the ESMC cell gave, under optimum operating conditions, 3-4 times higher concentration LODs for the test analytes than a current on-column conductivity cell employed under identical working conditions. On the other hand, these LOD values (25-150 nmol/l) were still 20-25 times lower than those estimated from reference experiments for a contactless conductivity detector. CZE experiments with iodide, carried out under working conditions leading to electrochemical reactions of this anion on the detection electrodes of current conductivity cells, did not occur in the ESMC cell. In addition, this cell, contrary to a reference contact conductivity cell, required no special care (e.g., cleaning of the surfaces of the detection electrodes by chemical or electrochemical means) to maintain its reliable long-term performance. Anionic CZE analyses of tap and mineral water samples monitored by the conductivity detector provided with the ESMC cell demonstrated a practical applicability and certain limitations of this detection approach in the analysis of ionic constituents present in high ionic strength sample matrices.

Determination of metabolic organic acids in cerebrospinal fluid by microchip electrophoresis

A new MCE method for the determination of oxalic, citric, glycolic, lactic, and 2‐ and 3‐hydroxybutyric acids, indicators of some metabolic and neurological diseases, in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was developed. MCE separations were performed on a PMMA microchip with coupled channels at lower pH (5.5) to prevent proteins interference. A double charged counter‐ion, BIS‐TRIS propane, was very effective in resolving the studied organic acids. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) ranging from 0.1 to 1.6 μM were obtained with the aid of contact conductivity detector implemented directly on the microchip. RSDs for migration time and peak area of organic acids in artificial and CSF samples were <0.8 and <9.7%, respectively. Recoveries of organic acids in untreated CSF samples on the microchip varied from 91 to 104%. Elimination of chloride interference, a major anionic constituent of CSF, has been reached by two approaches: (i) the use of coupled channels microchip in a column switching mode when approximately 97–99% of chloride was removed electrophoretically in the first separation channel and (ii) the implementation of micro‐SPE with silver‐form resin prior to the MCE analysis, which selectively removed chloride from undeproteinized CSF samples.