Electrospray ionization mobile phase limitations

Song and Naidong [129] analyzed omeprazole and 5-hydroxyomepra-zole in human plasma using hydrophilic interaction chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Omeprazole and its metabolite 5-hydroxy omeprazole and the internal standard desoxyomeprazole were extracted from 0.05 ml of human plasma using 0.5 ml of ethyl acetate in a 96-well plate. A portion (0.1 ml) of the ethyl acetate extract was diluted with 0.4 ml of acetonitrile and 10 /il was injected onto a Betasil silica column (5 cm x 3 mm, 5 /rm) and detected by atmospheric pressure ionization 3000 and 4000 with positive electrospray ionization. Mobile phase with linear gradient elution consists of acetonitrile, water, and formic acid (from 95 5 0.1 to 73.5 26.5 0.1 in 2 min). The flow-rate was 1.5 ml/min with total rim time of 2.75 min. The method was validated for a low limit of quantitation at 2.5 ng/ml for both analytes. The method was also validated for specificity, reproducibility, stability, and recovery. 

The assumption for Eq. (1) is that the ELSD peak area is directly proportional to mass. For compounds of widely varying structures, charges, or vapor pressure, or for varying mobile phase compositions (e.g., gradient HPLC), the ELSD response can vary markedly (16-22). Thus, Eq. (1) is limited in its applicability. Similarly, mass spectral (MS) detectors are universal, but the response per unit weight depends greatly on the ionization type (e.g., electrospray, fast-atom bombardment, etc.) and on the ionization efficiency of the analyte. Refractive index is another universal detector, but it too suffers from variability in response depending on the mobile phase... 

To establish a sensitive and specific liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (time-of-flight) [LC-MS (TOF)] method for the determination of donepezil in human plasma after an oral administration of 5 mg donepezil hydrochloride tablet [29]. Alkalized plasma was extracted with isopropa-nol-n-hexane (3 97) and loratadine was used as internal standard (IS). Solutes were separated on a Cis column with a mobile phase of metha-nokacetate buffer (pH 4.0) (80 20). Detection was performed on a TOF mass spectrometry equipped with an electrospray ionization interface and operated in positive-ionization mode. Donepezil quantitation was realized by computing the peak area ratio (donepezil-loratadine) (donepezil m/z 380 [M + H]+ and loratadine m/z 383[M + H]+) and comparing them with calibration curve (r = 0.9998). The linear calibration curve was obtained in the concentration range of 0.1-15 jUg/1. The detection limit of donepezil was 0.1 /zg/1. The average recovery was more than 90%. The intra- and inter-run precision was measured to be below 15% of RSD... 

A selective, sensitive, and rapid hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the determination of donepezil in human plasma [32], Donepezil was twice extracted from human plasma using methyl-ferf-butyl ether at basic pH. The analytes were separated on an Atlantis HILIC Silica column with the mobile phase of acetonitrile ammonium formate (50 mM, pH 4.0) (85 15, v/v) and detected by tandem mass spectrometry in the selective reaction monitoring mode. The calibration curve was linear (r = 0.9994) over the concentration range of 0.10-50.0 ng/ ml and the lower limit of quantification was 0.1 ng/ml using 200 /d plasma sample. The CV and relative error for intra- and inter-assay at four quality control levels were 2.7% to 10.5% and —10.0% to 0.0%, respectively. There was no matrix effect for donepezil and cisapride. The present method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of donepezil after oral dose of donepezil hydrochloride (10 mg tablet) to male healthy volunteers. 

A sensitive and rapid chromatographic procedure using a selective analytical detection method (electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry in SIM mode) in combination with a simple and efficient sample preparation step was presented for the determination of zaleplon in human plasma. The separation of the analyte, IS, and possible endogenous compounds are accomplished on a Phenomenex Lima 5-/rm C8(2) column (250 mm x 4.6 mm i.d.) with methanol-water (75 25, v/v) as the mobile phase. To optimize the mass detection of zaleplon, several parameters such as ionization mode, fragmentor voltage, m/z ratios of ions monitored, type of organic modifier, and eluent additive in the mobile phase are discussed. Each analysis takes less than 6 min. The calibration curve of zaleplon in the range of 0.1-60.0 ng/ml in plasma is linear with a correlation coefficient of >0.9992, and the detection limit (S/N = 3) is 0.1 ng/ml. The within- and between-day variations (RSD) in the zaleplon plasma analysis are less than 2.4% (n = 15) and 4.7% (n = 15), respectively. The application of this method is demonstrated for the analysis of zeleplon plasma samples [14]. 

It has become painfully obvious that most of the excellent approaches and techniques that have been developed for use in liquid chromatography are not applicable to liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) with atmospheric pressure ionization. Chapter 5 described the reagents and the range of mobile-phase compositions that are compatible with electrospray and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), and these are limited to volatile components that do not cause significant ion suppression. Certain problems that are not significant with standard LC separations become difficult to deal with because of the limitations placed on the mobile phase by atmospheric pressure ionization (API) LC/MS. 

Mobile phase The assay utilizes an isocratic mobile phase of 45% 10 mM ammonium acetate with 0.1% formic acid (mobile phase A) and 55% methanol (mobile phase B) at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The flow rate may be adjusted if necessitated by the system back pressure or flow limits of the electrospray ionization source of the available equipment. 

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