Electrochemical detectors sensitivity

M.R. Gregg, Increased electrochemical detector sensitivity by electrode surface modification., Chromatographia, 1985, 20, 129-133. 

For an analyte of molecular weight 5000 and good chromatographic conditions, most photometric detectors can be expected to provide detection limits of 2—5 ng. Improvement into the mid-picogram or lower range normally requires the use of more sensitive detection means such as fluorescence or electrochemical detectors. 

All the chlorophenols can be separated usiag C g-grafted siUca columns. In NH2 grafted columns, the elution depends on the An electrochemical detector ia oxidation mode, more sensitive than uv detectors, is generally used to detect very low quantities, especially ia analy2iag 2,4,5-trichlorophenol. 

The most common detectors in HPLC are ultraviolet, fluorescence, electrochemical detector and diffractometer. However, despite all improvements of these techniques it seems necessary to have a more selectivity and sensitivity detector for the purposes of the medical analysis. It should be therefore improvements to couple analytical techniques like infrared IR, MS, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), inductively coupled plasma-MS (ICP-MS) or biospecific detectors to the LC-system and many efforts have been made in this field. 

The amperometric detector is currently the most widely used electrochemical detector, having the advantages of high sensitivity and very small internal cell volume. Three electrodes are used ... 

Electrochemically active compounds can be evaluated using a potentiometer to generate a cyclic voltammogram for the analyte. Cyclic voltammetry will allow the analyst to determine whether the compound can be oxidized or reduced, to choose the appropriate potential to use in the electrochemical detector, and to establish whether oxidation or reduction is irreversible. Irreversible oxidation or reduction of the analyte could be predictive of problems with electrode poisoning and reduced sensitivity of the electrochemical detector over time. Turberg et al. used EC detection at an applied potential of -1-600 mV to analyze for ractopamine. 

Solute property detectors, such as spectroscopic andj electrochemical detectors, respond to a physical or chemical] property characteristic of the solute which, ideally, is] independent of the mobile phase. Althou this criterion is rarely met in practice, the signal discrimination is usually sufficient to permit operation with solvent changes (e.g., flow programming, gradient elution, etc.) and to provide high sensitivity with aj wide linear response range. Table 5.4. Solute-specific detectors complement ulk property detectors as they provide high ... 

Specifications for modem detectors in HPLC are given by Hanai [538] and comprise spectroscopic detectors (UV, F, FUR, Raman, RID, ICP, AAS, AES), electrochemical detectors (polarography, coulometry, (pulsed) amperometry, conductivity), mass spectromet-ric and other devices (FID, ECD, ELSD, ESR, NMR). None of these detectors meets all the requirement criteria of Table 4.40. The four most commonly used HPLC detectors are UV (80%), electrochemical, fluorescence and refractive index detectors. As these detectors are several orders of magnitude less sensitive than their GC counterparts, sensor contamination is not so severe, and... 

Bergstrom et al. [63] used HPLC for determination of penicillamine in body fluids. Proteins were precipitated from plasma and hemolyzed blood with trichloroacetic acid and metaphosphoric acid, respectively, and, after centrifugation, the supernatant solution was injected into the HPLC system via a 20-pL loop valve. Urine samples were directly injected after dilution with 0.4 M citric acid. Two columns (5 cm x 0.41 cm and 30 cm x 0.41 cm) packed with Zipax SCX (30 pm) were used as the guard and analytical columns, respectively. The mobile phase (2.5 mL/min) was deoxygenated 0.03 M citric acid-0.01 M Na2HP04 buffer, and use was made of an electrochemical detector equipped with a three-electrode thin-layer cell. The method was selective and sensitive for mercapto-compounds. Recoveries of penicillamine averaged 101% from plasma and 107% from urine, with coefficients of variation equal to 3.68 and 4.25%, respectively. The limits of detection for penicillamine were 0.5 pm and 3 pm in plasma and in urine, respectively. This method is selective and sensitive for sulfhydryl compounds. 

Since 1974, when the first commercially available HPLC electrochemical detector was introduced, an overwhelming number of articles on design, performance, theory and application have appeared in scientific literature. Today HPLC-EC is widely accepted as a sensitive and selective technique for the analysis of electro-active substances. 

Electrochemical detectors are more sensitive to flow pulsation than UV-detectors and usually an efficient pulse dampener is required to minimize the contribution to baseline noise at high sensitivity. 

Electrochemical detectors, which are based on the electrochemical oxidation or reduction of the analyte, can be applied to the analysis of selected compounds such as phenols. It is physically simple, but is very sensitive for catecholamines. However, the adsorption of reacted molecules on the surface of the electrodes can reduce the conductivity. To overcome this problem a pulsed voltage is applied, which cleans the electrode surface between measurements. This pulsed amperometric detection is also sensitive for carbohydrates. 

Numerous assays are also available in the literature for analysis of biogenic amines and their acid metabolites in brain tissue. For example, Chi and colleagues (1999) developed a rapid and sensitive assay for analyzing NE, DA, 5-HT, 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA), and homovanilHc acid (HVA) in rat brain. The assay used a C18 column (150 x 4.6 mm) coupled to an amperometric electrochemical detector. The mobile phase consisted of a phosphate buffer (pH 4.75) and octane sulphonic acid as an ion-pair reagent in acetonitrile. The sensitivity of the analytes reported was 3-8 pg on column. 

An electrochemical detector uses the electrochemical properties of target analytes for their determination in a flowing stream. Electrochemistry (EC) offers great promise for microchip systems, with features that include high sensitivity (approaching that of fluorescence), inherent miniaturization and integration... 

Rl detector Sensitivity electrochemical detector, variable wavelength UV detector, ELSD,... 

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