Wenjie Zhao

Determination of trace copper in food samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry after solid phase extraction on modified soybean hull

Soybean hull was chemically modified with citric acid and used as a solid phase extraction adsorbent for the determination of trace amounts of Cu(2+) in food samples by flame absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The effect of pH, sample flow rate and volume, elution flow rate and volume and co-existing ions on the recovery of the analyte were investigated. The results showed that Cu(2+) could be adsorbed on the modified soybean hull at pH 8.0 and eluted by 2.0 mL of 1.0 mol L(-1) HCl. Under the optimized conditions, the adsorption capacity of modified soybean hull was found to be 18.0 mg g(-1) for Cu(2+). The detection limit of the proposed method was 0.8 ng mL(-1) for Cu(2+) with an enrichment factor of 18. The analytical result for the certified reference tea sample (GBW07605) was in a good agreement with the certified value. The proposed method has also been successfully applied to the determination of trace Cu(2+) in dried sweet potato, lake water and milk powder, the recovery of Cu(2+) for spiked samples was between 91% and 109.6%.

Calixarene ionic liquid modified silica gel: A novel stationary phase for mixed-mode chromatography.

A novel calixarene ionic liquid functionalized silica material was synthesized by the preparation of a new calixarene monomer and its grafting on mercaptopropyl modified silica gel. The material was characterized by infrared spectra, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. To explore the retention mechanism of the stationary phase, linear solvation energy relationships (LSER) equation as an effective mathematical model was used. In addition to this, the distinct separation mechanisms were outlined by selected examples of chromatographic separations in the different modes. In reversed-phase liquid chromatography, this new stationary phase presented specific chromatographic performance when evaluated using alkylbenzenes, PAHs and phenols as solutes. Due to the existing polar functional groups, this stationary phase can also be used in hydrophilic interaction chromatography, six nucleosides and four ginsenosides were separated successfully in hydrophilic mode. Furthermore, anions can be separated on the column in anion exchange mode. Thus, this new material was can be applied as a new kind of mixed-mode stationary phase in liquid chromatography, which allows an exceptionally flexible adjustment of retention and selectivity by tuning the experimental conditions.

Development of a V-shape bis(tetraoxacalix[2]arene[2]triazine) stationary phase for High performance liquid chromatography

A new stationary phase for high-performance liquid chromatography was prepared by covalently bonding a V-shape cage heteroatom-bridged calixarene onto silica gel using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as coupling reagent. The structure of the new material was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. Linear solvation energy relationship method was successfully employed to evaluate the new phase with a set of 34 solutes. The retention characteristic of the new phase shows significant similarities with ODS, as well as distinctive features. Multiple mechanisms including hydrophobic, hydrogen bonding, π-π and n-π interaction are involved. The chromatographic behavior of the phase was illustrated by using alkylbenzenes, aromatics positional isomers and flavonoids as probes. Moreover, inorganic anions were individually separated in anion-exchange mode by using the same column. Thus, multi-interaction mechanisms and mixed-mode separation of the new phase can very likely guarantee its excellent chromatographic performance for the analysis of complex samples. The column has been successfully employed for the analysis of clenbuterol in animal urine, and it is demonstrated to be suitable and a competitive alternative analytical method for the determination of clenbuterol.

Macrocyclic polyamine‐functionalized silica as a solid‐phase extraction material coupled with ionic liquid dispersive liquid–liquid extraction for the enrichment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

In this study, silica modified with a 30-membered macrocyclic polyamine was synthesized and first used as an adsorbent material in SPE. The SPE was further combined with ionic liquid (IL) dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME). Five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were employed as model analytes to evaluate the extraction procedure and were determined by HPLC combined with UV/Vis detection. Acetone was used as the elution solvent in SPE as well as the dispersive solvent in DLLME. The enrichment of analytes was achieved using the 1,3-dibutylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide IL/acetone/water system. Experimental conditions for the overall macrocycle-SPE-IL-DLLME method, such as the amount of adsorbent, sample solution volume, sample solution pH, type of elution solvent as well as addition of salt, were studied and optimized. The developed method could be successfully applied to the analysis of four real water samples. The macrocyclic polyamine offered higher extraction efficiency for analytes compared with commercially available C18 cartridge, and the developed method provided higher enrichment factors (2768-5409) for model analytes compared with the single DLLME. Good linearity with the correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9983 to 0.9999 and LODs as low as 0.002 μg/L were obtained in the proposed method.

Determination of Trace Acrylamide in Starchy Foodstuffs by HPLC Using a Novel Mixed-Mode Functionalized Calixarene Sorbent for Solid-Phase Extraction Cleanup

In this paper, a rapid and effective HPLC method, using tetraazacalix[2]arene[2]triazine-modified silica gel (NCSi) as solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbent, was developed for the purification and determination of trace acrylamide in starchy foodstuffs. The main influence factors of SPE including amount of NCSi sorbent, sample flow rate, and volume and composition of washing solution were investigated and evaluated in the sample pretreatment step. The optimized purification effect was achieved at the sample flow rate of 3 mL/min with 100 mg of NCSi and 2 mL of washing solution (water, 100%). The HPLC separation was carried out on a C18 column (250×4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm) with a mobile phase of methanol/water (10:90, v/v). The linear range of the calibration curve was 4-4000 ng/mL with s correlation coefficient of >0.9999. The intraday and interday RSDs (n=5) of peak areas of acrylamide were 0.22 and 0.90% and the intraday and interday RSDs (n=5) of retention times were 0.50 and 1.63%, respectively. In addition, overall recoveries through the extraction and NCSi-SPE purification ranged from 73.13 to 98%. Compared with the commercial SPE sorbents, NCSi featured excellent selectivity to retain polar and nonpolar interferences in the sample matrices. The improved method was simple, rapid, accurate, and promising for the determination of trace acrylamide in starchy foods with a complex matrix.

A new 14-membered tetraazamacrocycle-bonded silica stationary phase for reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

A new high-performance liquid chromatography stationary phase has been prepared by covalently bonding 14-membered tetraazamacrocycle to silica gel using γ-chloropropyltrimethoxylsilane as coupling agent. The structure of the new material was characterized by infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. With 32 solutes including aromatic and aliphatic compounds, the linear solvation energy relationship method was successfully used to chromatographically evaluate the new phase in reversed phase mode. The retention property of the new phase shows evident similarity with that of ODS stationary phase, as well as distinctive, unique retention characteristics. The separations of n-alkylbenzene, carbamate and organophosphorus pesticides with diversified functional groups as well as phenolic compounds demonstrate that in addition to hydrophobic interaction, dipole-dipole interaction and hydrogen bonding interaction plus acid-base equilibrium could also be simultaneously offered by this new stationary phase, as a result excellent chromatographic performances are guaranteed.

Development of a decaaza-cyclophane stationary phase for high-performance liquid chromatography

A new stationary phase for high-performance liquid chromatography was prepared by covalently bonding a heteroatom-bridged cyclophane onto silica gel using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as the coupling reagent. The structure of the new material was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. The linear solvation energy relationship method was successfully employed to evaluate the new phase with a set of 25 solutes, and compared with octadecylsilyl and p-tert-butyl-calix[4]arene bonded stationary phases. The retention characteristics of the new phase are similar to the octadecylsilyl and conventional calixarene phases, and it also has distinctive features. In addition, the chromatographic behavior of the phase was illustrated by eluting alkylbenzenes and inorganic anions in the reversed-phase mode and anion-exchange mode, respectively. Thus, multi-interaction mechanisms and mixed-mode separation of the new phase can very likely guarantee its promising application in the analysis of complex samples. The column has been successfully employed for the analysis of triazines in milk, and it is demonstrated to be a competitive alternative analytical method for the determination of triazine herbicide residues.

Simultaneous enrichment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and Cu2+ in water using tetraazacalix[2]arene[2]triazine as a solid phase extraction selector

On the basis of the definite retention mechanism proven by the stationary phase for high-performance liquid chromatography, tetraazacalix[2]arene[2]triazine featuring multiple recognition sites was assessed as a solid-phase extraction (SPE) selector. The applicability of its silica support was used for the extraction of trace amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Cu(2+) in aqueous samples, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography fluorometric and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometric determination. On the basis of the π-π interaction with PAHs and the chelating interaction with Cu(2+), the simultaneous extraction of PAHs and Cu(2+) and stepwise elution through tuning the eluent were successfully achieved, respectively. The SPE conditions affecting the extraction efficiency were optimized, including type and concentration of organic modifier, sample solution pH, flow rate, and volume. As a result of the special adsorption and desorption mechanism, high extraction efficiency was achieved with relative recoveries of 94.3-102.4% and relative standard deviations of less than 10.5%. The limits of detection were obtained with 0.4-3.1 ng L(-1) for PAHs and 15 ng L(-1) for Cu(2+), respectively. The method was applied to the analyses of PAHs and Cu(2+) in Xiliu Lake water samples collected in Zhengzhou, China.

On-cartridge derivatisation using a calixarene solid-phase extraction sorbent for facile, sensitive and fast determination of formaldehyde in beer

This work demonstrates the successful application of an on-cartridge derivatisation procedure for facile, fast and sensitive determination of formaldehyde in beer by HPLC-UV. The derivatisation and solid-phase extraction (SPE) were integrated into a novel calixarene SPE sorbent: tetraazacalix[2]arene[2]triazine bonded silica gel. Specifically, 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine was adsorbed onto the sorbent in advance, based on the charge-transfer interaction between the macrocyclic molecule and nitrobenzenes. The method was optimised and validated: under the optimal conditions of derivatisation, SPE and HPLC separation, good linearity was obtained in the range of 0.080-3.2μgmL(-1) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9939, the limit of detection was 3.0ngmL(-1) (S/N=3), the limit of quantification was 10ngmL(-1) (S/N=10), and the recovery level using this method was desirable at 75-84%. The developed method was successfully applied to determine formaldehyde content in real beer samples; the results were in the range of 0.11-1.1μgmL(-1).

Preparation and evaluation of pillararene bonded silica gel stationary phases for high performance liquid chromatography

Pillararene bonded stationary phases for high performance liquid chromatography were prepared using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as coupling reagent. The structure of the new materials was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. The chromatographic performance and retention mechanism of the new stationary phases were evaluated in reversed-phase mode compared with C18 using different solute probes including Tanaka test solutes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols and aromatic positional isomers. The new stationary phases could provide various interactions for different solutes, such as hydrophobic, hydrogen bonding, π-π and inclusion interactions. The synergistic effects resulting from aromatic rings, oxygen atoms, alkyl linkers and cavities in the new host molecules improved the separation selectivity by multiple retention mechanisms. Such hybrid stationary phases can provide more versatility and have great potential for the analysis of complex samples.