Quantitative Analysis Using Internal Standard Method

4 Quantitative Analysis Using Internal Standard Method [12] 

An internal standard is an element added at a known concentration to both standards and sample and corrects for random fluctuations of the signal as well as variations of the analyte signals due to matrix effects. The signal for the internal standard should be influenced the same way as that for the analyte in the sample. The correction of suppression or enhancement effects by the internal standard depends on the mass number, as they should be as close as feasible to that of the analyte element. 

The method is based on the addition of a standard reference (internal standard) that is detected at a different wavelength from the analyte. The reference standard is added at the same concentration to samples and standards and diluted to mark in a volumetric flask. This technique uses the signal from the internal standard to correct for matrix interferences and is used with respect to precision and accuracy as well as eliminating the viscosity and matrix effects of the sample. 

Consider an analytical technique for which the measured parameter y of a single analyte obeys the relationship  

If both measurements y j and y2 are obtained in the same sample, then k and k2 are equal. Therefore, 

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Measured volume of sample is extracted. The extract is dried, concentrated, and analyzed by gas chromatographic (GC) mass spectrometric (MS) method. Qualitative compoimd identification is based on retention time and relative abundance of three characteristic masses (m/z). Quantitative analysis uses internal standard techniques with a single characteristic tn/z. 

Physical Techniques, i) Spectrographic determination. The arc emission spectrographic method for the determination of iron is particularly suitable for samples which are insoluble or available only in quantities of a few milligrams. The high sensitivity of the iron lines at 3720 A and 3020 A enables the metal to be detected in concentrations of the order of 1 p.p.m. For quantitative analysis an internal standard technique is used and the precision obtainable is about per cent. 

Standardization—External standards, standard additions, and internal standards are a common feature of many quantitative analyses. Suggested experiments using these standardization methods are found in later chapters. A good project experiment for introducing external standardization, standard additions, and the importance of the sample s matrix is to explore the effect of pH on the quantitative analysis of an acid-base indicator. Using bromothymol blue as an example, external standards can be prepared in a pH 9 buffer and used to analyze samples buffered to different pHs in the range of 6-10. Results can be compared with those obtained using a standard addition. 

Because of the complex nature of the discharge conditions, GD-OES is a comparative analytical method and standard reference materials must be used to establish a unique relationship between the measured line intensities and the elemental concentration. In quantitative bulk analysis, which has been developed to very high standards, calibration is performed with a set of calibration samples of composition similar to the unknown samples. Normally, a major element is used as reference and the internal standard method is applied. This approach is not generally applicable in depth-profile analysis, because the different layers encountered in a depth profile of ten comprise widely different types of material which means that a common reference element is not available. 

Quantitative analysis using the internal standard method. The height and area of chromatographic peaks are affected not only by the amount of sample but also by fluctuations of the carrier gas flow rate, the column and detector temperatures, etc., i.e. by variations of those factors which influence the sensitivity and response of the detector. The effect of such variations can be eliminated by use of the internal standard method in which a known amount of a reference substance is added to the sample to be analysed before injection into the column. The requirements for an effective internal standard (Section 4.5) may be summarised as follows ... 

HPA catalyzed liquid phase nitration was eairied out in a Teflon-lined stainless autoclave of 200 mL equipped with a magnetic stirrer. Reactants and HPA were quantitatively added to the autoclave, which was sealed and heated in an oil-bath. Products were analyzed by GC with OV-101 30 m capillary column and FID detector by using calibrated area normalization and internal standard method. All products were confirmed by GC-MASS analysis. 

The determination of the relationship between detector response and the sample concentration is termed the calibration of the method. There are two types of methods in use for the quantitative analysis of a sample, i.e., the external standard and the internal standard method. An external standard method is a direct comparison of the detector response of a pure compound (standard) to a sample.2 The calibration of the method is performed by preparing standards of varying concentration and analyzing them by a developed method. Method 1 (below) was developed for toluene, and standards of varying concentration were prepared and analyzed. The results obtained are summarized in Table 2 see Figure 3. 

Quantitative analysis using FAB is not straightforward, as with all ionisation techniques that use a direct insertion probe. While the goal of the exercise is to determine the bulk concentration of the analyte in the FAB matrix, FAB is instead measuring the concentration of the analyte in the surface of the matrix. The analyte surface concentration is not only a function of bulk analyte concentration, but is also affected by such factors as temperature, pressure, ionic strength, pH, FAB matrix, and sample matrix. With FAB and FTB/LSIMS the sample signal often dies away when the matrix, rather than the sample, is consumed therefore, one cannot be sure that the ion signal obtained represents the entire sample. External standard FAB quantitation methods are of questionable accuracy, and even simple internal standard methods can be trusted only where the analyte is found in a well-controlled sample matrix or is separated from its sample matrix prior to FAB analysis. Therefore, labelled internal standards and isotope dilution methods have become the norm for FAB quantitation. 

Alnouti Y. et al., 2006. Method for internal standard introduction for quantitative analysis using online SPE LC/MS/MS. Anal ChemlS 1331. 

Consider the quantitative gas chromatography analysis of alcohol-blended gasoline for ethyl alcohol by the internal standard method, using isopropyl alcohol as the internal standard. The peaks for these two substances are well resolved from each other and from other components. Assume there... 

For quantitative analysis by either the external or internal standard methods, HPLC requires the use of calibration solutions that are injected under identical conditions. Thus to fully identify quantitative effects, calibration solutions plus standard solutions need to be analysed for each experiment in a ruggedness test. As duplicate determinations are required for the estimation of standard errors a single experiment can consist of up to six chromatographic experiments as shown below. 

Internal standard (IS) calibration requires ratioing of an analytical signal to an IS which has very similar characteristics to that of the analyte of interest (an element which is similar to the analyte either in mass, ionisation potential or chemical behaviour). Quantitative analysis applying internal standardisation is the most popular calibration strategy in ICP-MS, as improvements in precision are obtained when the technique is appropriately used. Of course, the validity of this calibration method requires that one ensures a good selection of the correct internal standard. For this purpose it is possible to resort to chemometric methods [16]. 

Quantitative results were produced for each compound on the basis of internal standard method calculations. A three-point calibration curve was generated for each compound by using peak areas of a quantitation ion extracted from the mass spectrum of the compound. The ion was selected on the basis of it being a uniquely characteristic mass of the compound. The use of extracted ion quantitation produces more accurate results than total ion-current quantitation in cases in which two or more components are not completely resolved chromatographically. This situation is generally the case in complex mixture analysis. The quantitation ions selected for each of the compounds in the mix are listed in the box. 

As stated in Basic Protocol 1, the method of HPLC used may change depending on the organic acids present in the sample. This method uses a Bio-Rad Aminex HPX-87H column for HPLC analysis. An internal standard is important for the analysis of organic acids. This provides a means of not only determining if the analysis is working but also quantitating the percent recovery of the method. 

The methyl esters can be also determined by GC-FID. Using a 30 m x 0.32 mm ID x 0.25 pm (film thickness) capillary column, such as DB-1701 or equivalent, the compounds can be adequately separated and detected by FID. The recommended carrier gas (helium) flow rate is 35 cm/s, while that of the makeup gas (nitrogen) is 30 cm/min. All of the listed herbicides may be analyzed within 25 min. The oven temperature is programmed between 50 and 260°C, while the detector and injector temperatures should be 300 and 250°C, respectively. The herbicides may alternatively converted into their trimethylsilyl esters and analyzed by GC-FID under the same conditions. FID, however, gives a lower response as compared with ECD. The detection level ranges from 50 to 100 ng. For quantitation, either the external standard or the internal standard method may be applied. Any chlorinated compound stable under the above analytical conditions, which produces a sharp peak in the same RT range without coeluting with any analyte, may be used as an internal standard for GC-ECD analysis. U.S. EPA Method 8151 refers the use of 4,4,-dibromooctafluorobiphenyl and 1,4-dichlorobenzene as internal standards. The quantitation results are expressed as acid equivalent of esters. If pure chlorophenoxy acid neat compounds are esterified and used for calibration, the results would determine the actual concentrations of herbicides in the sample. Alternatively, if required, the herbicide acids can be stoichiometrically calculated as follows from the concentration of their methyl esters determined in the analysis ... 

A single point calibration may be used instead of a working calibration curve for quantitation by either external or internal standard method, if the response from the single point standards produces a response that deviates from the sample extract response by no more than 20%. The solvent for preparing calibration standards should preferably be the same one used to make the final sample extract. Hexane, isooctane, or methyl-feri-butylether is an appropriate solvent for the analysis of chlorinated pesticides by GC-ECD. 

Quantitation. The organic species identified by the GC-MS analyses were quantitated by GC analysis using internal and external standardization methods. Pure compounds representative of the various compound classes identified by GC-MS were selected as standards and methylated. A specific amount of each standard was co-injected with each sample to confirm the GC-MS identifications. For quantitation purposes, each standard was injected onto the gas chromatograph prior to and following sample analyses. The response factor of each standard was calculated under analytical conditions identical to those of the sample analyses. 

As individual sample QC checks, internal standards are important in compound quantitation. They should be monitored with the same care as other QC checks. The deterioration of internal standard area counts (the area under a chromatographic peak) reflects the changes in the analytical system that may eventually degrade the quality of analysis to an unacceptable level. EPA Methods 8260 and 8270 require that the area for each internal standard be within the range of —50 to +100 percent of the area of the internal standards in the most recent CCV (EPA, 1996a). This requirement may be used as a general rule for all other methods that use internal standard calibration. 

Matisova and co-workers11 have suggested that the need for a reproducible sample volume can be eliminated by combining the standard addition method with an in situ internal standard method. In the quantitative analysis of hydrocarbons in petroleum, they chose ethyl benzene as the standard for addition, but they used an unknown neighboring peak as an internal standard to which they referenced their data. This procedure eliminated the dependency on sample size and provided better quantitation than the area normalization method they were using. 

Free calcium hydroxide was determined by a modified Franke extraction procedure (24), most of the data having been obtained by the time-variation method (TVM). The unhydrated material was determined by x-ray quantitative analysis, using magnesium hydroxide as an internal standard, as described previously (21). The calibration equations for all three calcium silicates were of the form... 

Internal standard method is likely the most commonly used approach in a quantitative phase analysis. It is based on the following relationship ... 

The standard addition method is commonly used in quantitative analysis with ion-sensitive electrodes and in atomic absorption spectroscopy. In TLC this method was used by Klaus 92). Linear calibration with R(m=o)=o must also apply for this method. However, there is no advantage compared with the external standard method even worse there is a loss in precision by error propagation. The attainable precision is not satisfactory and only in the order of 3-5 %, compared to 0.3-0.5 % using the internal standard method 93). 

Table 6.1 Results of analysis of cyananoacrylate adhesives with and without thickening agent (PMMA) using calibration curve, standard addition and internal standard method for quantitative analysis of Nb content...

Raman spectroscopy is a scattering, not an absorption technique as FTIR. Thus, the ratio method cannot be used to determine the amount of light scattered unless an internal standard method is adopted. The internal standard method requires adding a known amount of a known component to each unknown sample. This known component should be chemically stable, not interact with other components in the sample and also have a unique peak. Plotting the Raman intensity of known component peaks versus known concentration in the sample, the proportional factor of Raman intensity to concentration can be identified as the slope of the plot. For the same experimental conditions, this proportional factor is used to determine the concentration of an unknown component from its unique peak. Determining relative contents of Si and Ge in Si—Ge thin films (Figure 9.38 and Figure 9.39) is an example of quantitative analysis of a Raman spectrum. 

The separation of endogenous 17- or 18-hydroxylated corticosteroids of the 21-hydroxylated 4-pregnen series was obtained by capillary electrophoresis of their charged borate chelate complexes (323). Aldosterone, 18-hydroxycorti-costerone, 18-hydroxy-deoxycorticosterone, cortisone, cortisol and 11-deoxycor-tisol are separated and resolved with 400 mM borate buffer at pH 9.0. The corticosteroid/borate chelation complex as indicated by CE data correlated well with 11 B-NMR. The separation of corticosteroids and benzothiazin analogs were studied by MEKC and a comparison with CZE was made (324). Bile salts, which have a similar carbon skeleton to the corticosteroids, were used for the separation of these steroids. A short analysis time, 15 min, and a high number of theoretical plates (150,000-350,000) were obtained. Sodium cholate was found to be very effective. The MEKC method was applied to the determination of the drug substance in tablets and cream formulations. An internal standard method was used for quantitation. The purity of the drug substance was also determined. 

The GC-FID analysis is conducted by injection of 1 to 2 fil of FI or F3 into a gas chromatograph equipped with a high resolution capillary column (operated in sphtless injection mode). The injector and detector temperatures are set at 290 and 300°C, respectively. The GC temperature program is selected to achieve near-baseline separation of all of the saturated hydrocarbons. Quantitation of the individual components is performed by the internal standard method. The relative response factor (RRF) for each component is calculated relative to the internal standard. The TPH is also quantified by the internal standard method using the baseline corrected total area of the chromatogram and the average hydrocarbon response factor determined over the entire analytical range. ... 

SP-2401" and 3% SP-2250. ° Detectors used by EPA standards procedures, include photoionization (PID)," electron capture (ECD)," Eourier transform infrared spectrometry (PTIR), " and mass spectrometry detectors (MSD)." ° Method 8061 employs an ECD, so identification of the phthalate esters should be supported by al least one additional qualitative technique. This method also describes the use of an additional column (14% cyanopropyl phenyl polysiloxane) and dual ECD analysis, which fulfills the above mentioned requirement. Among MSDs, most of the procedures employ electron impact (El) ionization, but chemical ionization (CI) ° is also employed. In all MSD methods, except 1625, quantitative analysis is performed using internal standard techniques with a single characteristic m/z- Method 1625 is an isotope dilution procedure. The use of a FTIR detector (method 8410) allows the identification of specific isomers that are not differentiated using GC-MSD. 

Thus, by substitution in this equation for the peak areas from the chromatogram, the relative response factors, derived from the calibration analysis, and the concentration of the internal standard added to the sample, the concentration of the components in the sample can be calculated. Since this method involves ratios of peak areas rather than absolute values, it should be noted that the precision of analysis is not dependent on the injection of an accurately known amount of sample. However, the accuracy does depend on the accurate measurement of peak area. Assay and quantitation by the internal standard is often the preferred method as it takes account of variable compound response and removes potential errors due to variation in sample injection. The 80 and 200 mg% (mg per 100 ml) standard solutions are used to confirm the linearity of response over this concentration range. 

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