Takashi Yarita

Determination of ethanol in alcoholic beverages by high-performance liquid chromatography-flame ionization detection using pure water as mobile phase.

A method for the determination of ethanol in alcoholic beverages by high-performance liquid chromatography-flame ionization detection (HPLC-FID) was developed. An FID system could be directly connected to an HPLC system using pure water as a mobile phase. In a durability test using triacontylsilyl (C30)-silica gel stationary phase for 96 h, no significant change in the retention time of four alcohol compounds was observed. So the HPLC separation of alcoholic beverages was carried out on the C30-silica gel stationary phase. On application to the analysis of six kinds of alcoholic beverages, ethanol could be determined accurately by the proposed method.

Comparison of low-level polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediment revealed by Soxhlet extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, and pressurized liquid extraction.

We analyzed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in lake sediment at low levels (<1 microg g(-1)) by using Soxhlet extraction (Soxhlet), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) in combination with gas chromatography and isotope-dilution mass spectrometry. Although all extraction techniques showed good repeatability for five target PAHs (relative standard deviation <5.2%, n=3), the results decreased in the order PLE>MAE>Soxhlet. Differences in the results originated mainly from differences in the extraction efficiencies of the techniques for native PAHs, because all techniques gave comparable recovery yields of corresponding 13C-labeled PAHs (13C-PAHs) (51-84%). Since non-negligible amounts of both native PAHs and 13C-PAHs were re-adsorbed on matrix in MAE, not only recovery yields of 13C-PAHs but also efficiencies of extraction of native PAHs should be examined to evaluate the appropriateness of any analytical procedures.

Supercritical fluid chromatographic determination of tocopherols on an ODS-silica gel column

Abstract A method for the supercritical fluid chromatographic (SFC) determination of tocopherots in vegetable oils was investigated using an ODS-silica gel column with carbon dioxide as the mobile phase. The retention of tocopherols was affected by the density of the mobile phase and the addition of methanol as a modifier. The addition of small concentrations of methanol produced a satisfactory separation of tocopherol homologues, including the positional isomers β- and γ-tocopherol. The results of the determination of tocopherols in vegetable oils by SFC were in satisfactory agreement with those obtained by normal-phase HPLC.

Determination of phosphorus using capillary electrophoresis and micro-high-performance liquid chromatography hyphenated with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the quantification of nucleotides

We performed the quantification of phosphorus in deoxynucleotides using capillary electrophoresis (CE) and micro-HPLC (microHPLC) hyphenated with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). DNA and its component units have conventionally been determined by photometry; however, more selective and sensitive methods are needed for small biological samples. CE and microHPLC offer the advantages of good separation and small consumption of samples, and ICP-MS is a highly sensitive technique for the determination of a chemical element. Therefore, we have developed an interface device for combining CE and microHPLC with ICP-MS for quantifying nucleotides based on phosphorus content. The interface utilizes 4.5 microL/min for nebulizing and effective introduction of the sample into ICP. The samples of nucleotides and free phosphoric acid were well separated in the CE-ICP-MS measurement, and the calibration curves (1-100 microg/mL) of the nucleotides showed a linear (R2>0.999) increase in intensity. Similarly, the samples of nucleotides were baseline separated using microHPLC-ICP-MS, and the calibration curves of the nucleotides were linear (R2>0.998). The detection limits of these species and phosphorus in nucleotides using CE-ICP-MS and microHPLC-ICP-MS were 0.77-6.5 ng/mL and 4.0-6.5 ng/mL, respectively. These values were about one or two orders lower than those in a previous report. The sample volumes of these experiments were calculated to be about 10 nL and 50 nL per analysis. Therefore, these analytical methods have the potential to be useful for the determination of biological samples, such as DNA and RNA molecules.

Evaluation of the impact of matrix effect on quantification of pesticides in foods by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using isotope-labeled internal standards.

The impact of the matrix effect in GC-MS quantification of pesticides in food using the corresponding isotope-labeled internal standards was evaluated. A spike-and-recovery study of nine target pesticides was first conducted using paste samples of corn, green soybean, carrot, and pumpkin. The observed analytical values using isotope-labeled internal standards were more accurate for most target pesticides than that obtained using the external calibration method, but were still biased from the spiked concentrations when a matrix-free calibration solution was used for calibration. The respective calibration curves for each target pesticide were also prepared using matrix-free calibration solutions and matrix-matched calibration solutions with blank soybean extract. The intensity ratio of the peaks of most target pesticides to that of the corresponding isotope-labeled internal standards was influenced by the presence of the matrix in the calibration solution; therefore, the observed slope varied. The ratio was also influenced by the type of injection method (splitless or on-column). These results indicated that matrix-matching of the calibration solution is required for very accurate quantification, even if isotope-labeled internal standards were used for calibration.

Alkaline extraction in combination with microwave-assisted extraction followed by solid-phase extraction treatment for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a sediment sample

Microwave-assisted extraction using 1M KOH/methanol (alkaline-MAE) in combination with solid-phase extraction treatment was developed and applied to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a sediment sample. Although various conditions were examined (100 or 150 degrees C for 10 or 30 min), comparable concentrations of PAHs to those obtained by conventional extraction with 1M KOH/methanol at 70 degrees C for 4h were obtained, even at 100 degrees C for 10 min. The concentrations obtained by using MeOH at 150 degrees C for 30 min without KOH were lower (by 1.3-37%) than those obtained by alkaline-MAE at 150 degrees C for 30 min. Since the developed technique can introduce higher concentration of benzo[ghi]perylene relative to those using pressurized liquid extraction (toluene, 150 degrees C, 15 MPa, 10 min, two cycles), the developed alkaline-MAE is a effective technique.

Development of certified reference material for quantification of two pesticides in brown rice.

Brown rice powder certified reference material, NMIJ CRM 7504-a, for the analysis of pesticide residues was developed by the National Metrology Institute of Japan, part of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. Brown rice sample was harvested to contain the pesticides such as etofenprox and fenitrothion, and that was collected from a field in Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan. The certification was carried out using multiple analytical methods such as pressurized liquid extraction, homogenization, and solid-liquid extraction (shaking); the values of target pesticides were obtained by isotope dilution mass spectrometry. Certified values were 0.19 +/- 0.05 mg/kg and 0.109 +/- 0.017 mg/kg for etofenprox and fenitrothion, respectively.

Development of apple certified reference material for quantification of organophosphorus and pyrethroid pesticides

An apple certified reference material for the analysis of pesticide residues was issued by the National Metrology Institute of Japan. Organophosphorus and pyrethroid pesticides were sprayed on apples, and these were used as raw materials of certified reference material. The harvested apples were cut into small pieces, freeze-dried, pulverized, sieved, placed into 200 brown glass bottles (3g each), and sterilized by γ-irradiation. Stability and homogeneity assessment was performed, and the relative uncertainties due to instability (for an expiry date of 32 months) and inhomogeneity were 10.3-25.0% and 4.0-6.8%, respectively. The characterization was carried out using multiple analytical methods to ensure the reliability of analytical results; the values of target pesticides were obtained by isotope dilution mass spectrometry. Certified values were 2.28 ± 0.82 mg/kg for diazinon, 3.14 ± 0.79 mg/kg for fenitrothion, 1.55 ± 0.81 mg/kg for cypermethrin, and 2.81 ± 0.70 mg/kg for permethrin.

Accurate quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in dust samples using microwave-assisted solvent extraction combined with isotope-dilution mass spectrometry.

For accurate quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in dust samples, we investigated the use of microwave-assisted solvent extraction (MAE) combined with isotope-dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) using deuterium-labelled PAHs (D-PAHs). Although MAE with a methanol/toluene mixture (1:3 by volume) at 160°C for 40 min was best for extracting PAHs from tunnel dust among examined, the recovery yields of D-PAHs decreased with increasing molecular weight (<40% for MW≥264; that of deuterium-labelled indeno[123-cd]pyrene (D-IcdP) was only 7.1%). Although the residues were extracted a second time, the observed concentrations did not change dramatically (<5%), and the recovery yields of heavier D-PAHs (i.e., MW≥264) were approximately half of those of the first extract, including D-IcdP (3.4%). These results suggest that both partitioning and isotopic equilibria of PAHs and D-PAHs between sample and solvent were achieved for extractable heavier PAHs under the condition. Thus, the observed concentrations of PAHs obtained by MAE-IDMS were reasonable, even though recovery yields of D-PAHs were <50%. From the results of carbon analyses and extractable contents, lower recovery yields of D-PAHs from the tunnel dust were due to a large content of char with low extractable contents.

Preparation of a sulfoxide group and ammonium-salt bonded silica stationary phase for separation of polychlorinated biphenyls from mineral oils

In this study, a silica stationary phase modified with sulfoxide group and ammonium-salt was prepared for the separation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from mineral oils, and its properties were investigated. Organic sulfide was attached to a diamino (primary and secondary amino) bonded silica surface by an amide bond, and the bonded sulfide groups were oxidized with periodate to afford sulfoxide groups bonded to the stationary phase. The secondary amino groups in the spacer chain were converted to ammonium-salt by the addition of hydrochloric acid. The sulfoxide group and ammonium-salt bonded stationary phase was tested for their suitability as adsorbent for SPE-type preparative short columns and for an analytical HPLC-type separation. The new stationary phase (1.2 mmol of sulfur bonded per gram) separated PCBs from mineral oils (paraffin-based transformer oils) more efficiently than previously reported stationary phases including sulfoxide group or ammonium-salt bonded ones. The quantitative chromatographic parameters for an aliphatic hydrocarbon (eicosane) and some PCB congeners also indicated strong retention of highly chlorinated biphenyls by the sulfoxide and ammonium-salt bonded silica compared with simple aminopropyl, sulfoxide group or ammonium-salt bonded ones. A cleanup procedure was established for simple determination of PCBs in mineral oil samples using sulfoxide group and ammonium-salt bonded silica packed column fractionation. The analytical method, combination of the cleanup procedure, and measurement with a GC-high resolution (magnetic sector) MS or a GC-quadrupole MS were validated using mineral oil certified reference materials.