Sample cleanup solid-phase extraction

A capillary gas chromatographic method is described for determination of major phytosterols and cholesterol in edible oils and fats. To extract the unsaponifiable matter and for sample cleanup, solid-phase extraction with C18 absorbent was used. 

Relative standard deviation of repeat HPLC analysis of a drug metabolite standard was between 2 and 5%. Preliminary measurements of several serum samples via solid-phase extraction cleanup followed by HPLC analyses showed that the analyte concentration was between 5 and 15 mg/L and the standard deviation was 2.5 mg/L. The extraction step clearly increased the random error of the overall process. Calculate the number of samples required so that the sample mean would be within +1.2 mg/L of the population mean at the 95% confidence level. 

Water solubility, dissociation constant(s) and n-octanol/water partition coefficients allow one to predict how an analyte may behave on normal-phase (NP), reversed-phase (RP), or ion-exchange solid-phase extraction (SPE) for sample enrichment and cleanup. 

The extent of cleanup needed depends on the target analyte, the quality of the sample extract, the method of detection and sensitivity. Liquid-liquid partition (LLP) and solid-phase extraction (SPE) columns such as the Cig cartridge and macroporous diatomaceous column are the cleanup method of choice. 

Ion-exchange solid-phase extractions are used for ionic compounds. The pH of the extracts is adjusted to ionize the target analytes so that they are preferentially retained by the stationary bonded phase. Selection of the bonded phase depends on the pK or pA b of the target analytes. Sample cleanup using ion exchange is highly selective and can separate polar ionic compounds that are difficult to extract by the liquid-liquid partition technique. 

The extent of the cleanup depends on the sample matrix to be analyzed, the extraction procedure, the method of detection and the desired sensitivity. Generally, the cleanup method is liquid-liquid partitioning (LLP), but recently it has become simpler and more reliable to use solid-phase extraction (SPE) columns. 

A cleanup procedure is usually carried out to remove co-extracted matrix components that may interfere in the chromatographic analysis or be detrimental to the analytical instrument. The cleanup procedure is dependent on the nature of the analyte, the type of sample to be analyzed, and the selectivity and sensitivity of the analytical instrument used in the analysis. Preliminary purification of the sample extracts prior to chromatographic separation involves liquid-liquid partitioning and/or solid-phase extraction (SPE) using charcoal/Celite, Elorisil, carbon black, silica, or aminopropyl-silica based adsorbents or gel permeation chromatography (GPC). 

Crop material is homogenized with acetonitrile-water (9 1, v/v). The crop extract is centrifuged and an aliquot is rotary evaporated to a small volume. The sample is subjected to a Cig solid-phase extraction (SPE) cleanup procedure. The concentrated eluate is subjected to liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) analysis. 

Koeber R. et al., 2001. Evaluation of a multidimensional solid-phase extraction platform for highly selective online cleanup and high-throughput LC-MS analysis of triazines in river water samples using molecu-larly imprinted polymers. Anal Chem 73 2437. 

More elaborate sample preparation is often needed for complex sample matrices, e.g., lotions and creams. Many newer SP technologies such as solid-phase extraction (SPE), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), pressurized fluid extraction, accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), and robotics are frequently utilized (see Ref. [2]). Dosage forms such as suppositories, lotions, or creams containing a preponderance of hydrophobic matrices might require more elaborate SP and sample cleanup, such as SPE or liquid-liquid extraction. 

Lopez-Avila et al. [59] used microwave assisted extraction to assist the extraction of polyaromatic hydrocarbons from soils. Another extraction method was described by Hartmann [60] for the recovery of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in forest soils. The method included saponification of samples in an ultrasonic bath, partitioning of polyaromatic hydrocarbons into hexane, extract cleanup by using solid-phase extraction, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis using deuterated internal standards. Polyaromatic hydrocarbons were thermally desorbed from soils and sediments without pretreatment in another investigation [61]. 

Other techniques to improve throughput are instrumentation based and may involve multiple HPLC systems. The simplest method involves the automated use of solid phase extraction cartridges for sample cleanup followed by direct injection into the mass spectrometer [114], Coupling of multiple HPLC systems to one mass spectrometer allows one column to equilibrate and separate while another column to flow into the mass spectrometer. Multiple HPLC systems may be configured such that the mass spectrometer is only exposed to each serial HPLC eluent as the analyte of interest is eluted [115,116]. Although multiple H P LC-based methods may increase throughput, they also typically decrease sensitivity and may confound data workup and interpretation. 

Lopez-Avila V, Milanes J, Dodhiwala NS, et al. 1989. Cleanup of environmental sample extracts using florisil solid-phase extraction cartridges. J Chromatogr Sci 27(5) 209-220. 

For sample cleanup the typical methods like solid-phase extraction (SEE) and liquid—liquid extraction can be used in the same manner as they are used for HPLC. Please refer to the corresponding handbooks for a detailed background of these sample preparation methods. ... 

For reliable identification of a residue, detailed information about the molecular structure of the analyte is essential. The total information about the molecular structure of the analyte is the sum of the information derived from each individual analytical step of tire method. Frequently used selective analytical steps based on chromatography or immunoaffinity, provide more or less general indirect information. For example, solid-phase extraction (SPE) cleanup followed by liquid chromatography/ultraviolet detection (LC/UV) has been suggested for screening and quantification of ivermectin residues in liver, but presumptive positive samples can be confirmed by derivatizing an aliquot of the SPE eluate and reanalyzing the fluorescent derivative of ivermectin in an LC-fluorescence system (17). 

Diethylstilbestrol is particularly difficult to quantitate below 1.0 ppb in bovine tissues, especially in liver, which is among the last tissues to contain diethystilbestrol after cattle are withdrawn from receiving tire drug (101, 102). Interferences from tissue matrix constitute a major problem that might be due to nonspecific interference of lipids and fatty compounds (103, 104). In addition, problems with false-positive results often appear in urine analysis unless a chromatographic step such as a solid-phase extraction cleanup (105, 106) is introduced. Simple sample preparation procedures such as those based on solvent extraction and liquid-liquid partitioning do not usually give satisfactory results (107, 108). 

Unlike clenbuterol, salbutamol is a difficult compound to analyze due to its particular chemical attributes. It is a basic compound subjected to protein binding poor recoveries are obtained especially when protein precipitation techniques are used to prepare the extracts (145). In addition, salbutamol is charged at all pH values and does not readily lend itself to simple, specific back-extracting procedures. This severely restricts the options of sample cleanup. However, a Subtilisin protease digestion step followed by acid clarification and solid-phase extraction has been suggested (146) as an adequate extraction and cleanup procedure prior to the end-point determination of salbutamol by an enzyme immunoassay (139) based on the cross-reactivity of anticlenbuterol antibodies. 

In most published methods, the primary sample extracts are subjected to various types of cleanup procedures including conventional liquid-liquid partitioning, solid-phase extraction, matrix solid-phase dispersion, and online trace enrichment. In many cases, some of these procedures are used in combination in order to help obtaining highly purified extracts. 

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