Field-flow fractionation environmental applications

The first section of the book explores emerging novel aspects of HPLC and related separation methods based on the differential velocity of analytes in a liquid medium under the action of either an electric field (capillary electromigration techniques) or a gravitational field (field-flow fractionation). The section focusing on applications highlights four significant areas in which HPLC is successfully employed chiral pharmaceutical, environmental analysis, food analysis, and forensic science. 

By coupling flow field-flow fractionation (flow FFF) to ICP-MS it is possible to investigate trace metals bound to various size fractions of colloidal and particulate materials.55 This technique is employed for environmental applications,55-57 for example to study trace metals associated with sediments. FFF-ICP-MS is an ideal technique for obtaining information on particle size distribution and depth profiles in sediment cores in addition to the metal concentrations (e.g., of Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Sr, Ti and Zn with core depths ranging from 0-40 cm).55 Contaminated river sediments at various depths have been investigated by a combination of selective extraction and FFF-ICP-MS as described by Siripinyanond et al,55... 

Beckett, R. The application of field-flow fractionation techniques to the characterization of complex environmental samples. Environ. Tech. Lett. 1987, 8, 339-354. 

Beckett, R. 2000. Overview of environmental applications, p. 489-496. In M. Schimpf et al. (ed.) Field-flow fractionation handbook. John Wiley Sons, New York. 

Chapters on sample introduction and hyphenated sample treatment and ICP systems have also been further updated since the last edition. No doubt that chromatographic, electrophoresis, flow injection and field flow fraction separations have extended ICP-MS (and AES) measurements as the mainstay of elanental specia-tion measurements in biological and environmental fields. Without the combination of these separation techniques and ICP measurements, elemental speciation applications would be severely hampered... if not impossible (Chapter 18). The ability to measure P and S with high sensitivity has opened up new opportunities in proteomics, for example. Species-specific and unspecific isotopic dilution (ID-MS) has been critical in quantifying speciation analysis and revealing recovery errors (Chapter 13). Species-specific techniques have been applied to identify species transformations, resulting in the development of multi-species methods whereas, hyphenated species-unspecific ICP-ID-MS determinations of heteroatoms such as sulfur have become a common quantification technique in proteomics. 

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