Spectroscopic coupled techniques

This chapter deals mainly with (multi)hyphenated techniques comprising wet sample preparation steps (e.g. SFE, SPE) and/or separation techniques (GC, SFC, HPLC, SEC, TLC, CE). Other hyphenated techniques involve thermal-spectroscopic and gas or heat extraction methods (TG, TD, HS, Py, LD, etc.). Also, spectroscopic couplings (e.g. LIBS-LIF) are of interest. Hyphenation of UV spectroscopy and mass spectrometry forms the family of laser mass-spectrometric (LAMS) methods, such as REMPI-ToFMS and MALDI-ToFMS. In REMPI-ToFMS the connecting element between UV spectroscopy and mass spectrometry is laser-induced REMPI ionisation. An intermediate state of the molecule of interest is selectively excited by absorption of a laser photon (the wavelength of a tuneable laser is set in resonance with the transition). The excited molecules are subsequently ionised by absorption of an additional laser photon. Therefore the ionisation selectivity is introduced by the resonance absorption of the first photon, i.e. by UV spectroscopy. However, conventional UV spectra of polyatomic molecules exhibit relatively broad and continuous spectral features, allowing only a medium selectivity. Supersonic jet cooling of the sample molecules (to 5-50 K) reduces the line width of their... 

Numerous analyses in the quality control of most kinds of samples occurring in the flavour industry are done by different chromatographic procedures, for example gas chromatography (GC), high-pressure liquid chromatography (fiPLC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE). Besides the different IR methods mentioned already, further spectroscopic techniques are used, for example nuclear magnetic resonance, ultraviolet spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy (MS) and atomic absorption spectroscopy. In addition, also in quality control modern coupled techniques like GC-MS, GC-Fourier transform IR spectroscopy, HPLC-MS and CE-MS are gaining more and more importance. 

The detection and identification of phenolic compounds, including phenolic acids, have also been simph-fied using mass spectrometry (MS) techniques on-hne, coupled to the HPLC equipment. The electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) interfaces dominate the analysis of phenohcs in herbs, fmits, vegetables, peels, seeds, and other plants. In some cases, HPLC, with different sensitivity detectors (UV, electrochemical, fluorescence), and HPLC-MS are simultaneously used for the identification and determination of phenolic acids in natural plants and related food products.In some papers, other spectroscopic instmmental techniques (IR, H NMR, and C NMR) have also been apphed for the identification of isolated phenolic compounds. 

Without discussion, the tools most commonly used for trace element speciation analysis nowadays are hyphenated techniques , which is the coupling of more than one technique one or more of them facilitating the separation of the various forms of the element of interest and the other for the final sensitive and selective detection of the element. The main separation methods and detectors commonly used in hyphenated or coupled techniques for speciation analysis have been summarized in Figure 3. These species separation techniques can be coupled online or offline with the detector (usually an atomic spectroscopic detector). 

Ion chromatography plays a very important role in hyphenated techniques used in species analysis. Coupling techniques represent the link of ion chromatography systems with an independent analytical detection method, usually spectroscopic (AAS-Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, ICP-AES-lnductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy, ICP-MS-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry ). 

Other spectroscopic methods such as infrared (ir), and nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr), circular dichroism (cd), and mass spectrometry (ms) are invaluable tools for identification and stmcture elucidation. Nmr spectroscopy allows for geometric assignment of the carbon—carbon double bonds, as well as relative stereochemistry of ring substituents. These spectroscopic methods coupled with traditional chemical derivatization techniques provide the framework by which new carotenoids are identified and characterized (16,17). 

Furthermore, LandS s theory only represents a first-order approximation, and the L and S quantum numbers only behave as good quantum numbers when spin-orbit coupling is neglected. It is interesting to note that the most modem method for establishing the atomic ground state and its configuration is neither chemical nor spectroscopic in the usual sense of the word but makes use of atomic beam techniques (38). 

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