Plasma chromatograph

FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR CHROMATOGRAPHIC PLASMA EMISSION DETECTION... 

The sample solution is pumped (e.g., from the end of a liquid chromatographic column) through a capillary tube, near the end of which it is heated strongly. Over a short length of tube, some of the solvent is vaporized and expands rapidly. The remaining liquid and the expanding vapor mix and spray out the end of the tube as an aerosol. A flow of argon carries the aerosol into the plasma flame. 

Thermospray nebulizers are somewhat expensive but can be used on-line to a liquid chromatographic column. About 10% of sample solution is transferred to the plasma flame. The overall performance of the thermospray device compares well with pneumatic and ultrasonic sprays. When used with microbore liquid chromatographic columns, which produce only about 100 pl/min of eluant, the need for spray and desolvation chambers is reduced, and detection sensitivities similar to those of the ultrasonic devices can be attained both are some 20 times better than the sensitivities routinely found in pneumatic nebulizers. 

Oxygen and nitrogen also are deterrnined by conductivity or chromatographic techniques following a hot vacuum extraction or inert-gas fusion of hafnium with a noble metal (25,26). Nitrogen also may be deterrnined by the Kjeldahl technique (19). Phosphoms is determined by phosphine evolution and flame-emission detection. Chloride is determined indirecdy by atomic absorption or x-ray spectroscopy, or at higher levels by a selective-ion electrode. Fluoride can be determined similarly (27,28). Uranium and U-235 have been determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (29). 

The above chemicals can be obtained by fermentation (qv) of other sugars. However, some compounds require sucrose as a unique feedstock. Examples are the polysaccharides dextran, alteman, andlevan, which are produced by specific strains of bacteria (48,54—56). Dextrans are used to make chromatographic separation media, and sulfated dextran derivatives are used as plasma extenders (41). Levans show promise as sweetness potentiators and, along with alteman, have potential as food thickeners and bulking agents in reduced-caloric foods (55,56) (see Carbohydrates). 

More specific methods involve chromatographic separation of the retinoids and carotenoids followed by an appropriate detection method. This subject has been reviewed (57). Typically, hplc techniques are used and are coupled with detection by uv. For the retinoids, fluorescent detection is possible and picogram quantities of retinol in plasma have been measured (58—62). These techniques are particularly powerful for the separation of isomers. Owing to the thermal lability of these compounds, gc methods have also been used but to a lesser extent. Recently, the utiUty of cool-on-column injection methods for these materials has been demonstrated (63). 

Numerous high pressure Hquid chromatographic techniques have been reported for specific sample forms vegetable oHs (55,56), animal feeds (57,58), seta (59,60), plasma (61,62), foods (63,64), and tissues (63). Some of the methods requite a saponification step to remove fats, to release tocopherols from ceHs, and/or to free tocopherols from their esters. AH requite an extraction step to remove the tocopherols from the sample matrix. The methods include both normal and reverse-phase hplc with either uv absorbance or fluorescence detection. AppHcation of supercritical fluid (qv) chromatography has been reported for analysis of tocopherols in marine oHs (65). 

Figure 15.6 Chromatogram of a plasma standard of human leukocyte elastase inhibitors obtained by using LC-LC. Adapted from Journal of Liquid Chromatography and Related Technologies, 19, R. A. Earley and L. R Tini, Versatile multidimensional chromatographic system for di ug discovery as exemplified by the analysis of a non-peptidic inhibitor of human leukocyte elastase , pp. 2527-2540, 1996, by courtesy of Marcel DekkeiTnc.

As with conventional Cl, this is a very mild form of ionization leading to molecular species with little or no fragmentation, i.e. (M + H)+ and (M — H) . This is not, however, always the case. The use of chromatographic modifiers may change the composition of the Cl plasma to such a state that, as in Cl and thermospray, other ions may be formed, e.g. the presence of ammonium acetate may lead to (M - - NH4)+ and (M - - CHsCOO)" ions in the positive- and negative-ion modes, respectively. The chemistry of the analyte may also have an effect, as has been discussed for ESI, with, for example, the spectra of fullerenes extracted from soot particles yielding an M+ molecular species [16],... 

The application of high tension (e.g. 20 kV, 0.5 MHz) in an evacuated system (0.2. .. 8 torr) causes the residual gas to form a highly ionized mixture of positive and negative ions, electrons, photons and neutral gas molecules. In the presence of active sorbents this plasma reacts with the chromatographically separated substances to eld reactive ions and radicals. 

Century, B. Vorkink, W. P. and Natelson, S. Thin layer chromatographic screening of aminoacids in plasma and urine of newborns. Clin. Chem. (1974), 20,... 

MAiANi G, SERAFiNi M, SALUCCi M, AZZiNi E and FERRO-Luzzi A (1997) Application of a new high-performance liquid chromatographic method for measuring selected polyphenols in hiunan plasma , J of Chromatog B, 692, 311-17. 

NAKAGAWA K and MIYAZAWA T (1997) Chemiluminescence-high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of tea catechin, (-)-epigallocatechm 3-gallate, at picomole levels in rat and human plasma , Anal Biochem, 248, 41-9. 

Kimura, M., Kanehira, K., and Yokoi, K., Highly sensitive and simple liquid chromatographic determination in plasma of B6 vitamers, especially pyridoxal 5 -phosphate, /. Chromatogr. A, 722, 295, 1996. 

HPLC (in both NP and RP modes) is quite suitable for speciation by coupling to FAAS, ETAAS, ICP-MS and MIP-MS [571,572]. Coupling of plasma source mass spectrometry with chromatographic techniques offers selective detection with excellent sensitivity. For HPLC-ICP-MS detection limits are in the sub-ng to pg range [36]. Metal ion determination and speciation by LC have been reviewed [573,574] with particular regard to ion chromatography [575]. 

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