[Thermal desorption sampling-gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with a carbonyl-iron powder composite silica monolithic column for enrichment and determination of pyrethroid pesticide residues in tea samples].

Long-term exposure to pyrethroid insecticides is detrimental to the nervous system, reproductive system, and immune system in humans. Therefore, enrichment detection of pyrethroid pesticides is imperative. In this study, a novel carbonyl-iron powder composite silica monolithic column was first prepared for the enrichment of pyrethroid pesticide residues in tea samples. Then, the target analytes were thermally desorbed and online-injected into a gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) system. In the present method, hydroxy-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was covalently bonded to the surface of the SiO2 network and subsequently bonded with the carbonyl-iron powder. After the target analytes were adsorbed and concentrated in the PDMS spots, high-frequency induction heating was used for GC-MS/MS sampling. Under the optimal conditions, the detection limits of the pyrethroid pesticide residues were 3.8 to 7.5 µg/kg, and the relative standard deviation was 3.2% to 6.8% (n=6). The extraction recovery ranged from 97.7% to 110.5%, and the correlation coefficient was ≥ 0.9960. In addition, the enrichment factor could reach 1000 times. PDMS materials show excellent adsorption properties for non-polar solutes. In our experiment, carbonyl iron powder-bonded monolithic columns were prepared on the basis of stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE). Carbonyl iron powder magnetic particles were evenly implanted into the inorganic-organic hybrid cassia material for realizing rapid and uniform desorption upon electromagnetic induction heating. Under the premise of perfectly integrating the technical advantages of SBSE and solid-phase microextraction (SPME), the electromagnetic induction characteristics of carbonyl iron powder can be exploited for thermal desorption and directly combined with GC-MS to facilitate online analysis and solvent-free elution. Compared with the conventional SPME method, the proposed method has the advantages of high enrichment factor, large adsorption capacity of the column, reusability, high degree of automation, and good universality. This method has high significance for sample preparation and for the extraction of pesticide residues in complex matrices.

Determination of preservatives by integrative coupling method of headspace liquid-phase microextraction and capillary zone electrophoresis.

An integrative coupling method of headspace liquid-phase microextraction (HS-LPME) and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was proposed in this paper. In the method, a separation capillary was used to create a microextraction droplet of the running buffer solution of CZE, hold the droplet at the capillary inlet, extract analytes of sample solutions in the headspace of a sample vial, inject concentrated analytes into the capillary and separate the analytes by CZE. The proposed method was applied to determine the preservatives of benzoic acid and sorbic acid in soy sauce and soft drink samples, in which the running buffer solution of 50 mmol/L tetraborate (pH 9.2) was directly used to form the acceptor droplet at the capillary inlet by pressure, and the preservatives in a 6-mL sample solution containing 0.25 g/mL NaCl were extracted at 90°C for 30 min in the headspace of a 14-mL sample vial. Then the concentrated preservatives were injected into the capillary at 10 cm height difference for 20 s and separated by CZE. The enrichment factors of benzoic acid and sorbic acid achieved 266 and 404, and the limits of detection (LODs) were 0.03 and 0.01 µg/mL (S/N=3), respectively. The recoveries were in the range of 88.7-105%. The integrative coupling method of HS-LPME and CZE was simple, convenient, reliable and suitable for concentrating volatile and semi-volatile organic acids and eliminating matrix interferences of real samples.

[On-line coupling of microcolumn electrophoresis and UV-Vis spectrophotometry].

In the present paper, a laboratory-made high-performance electrophoresis microcolumn unit was prepared for UV-Vis spectrophotometer. X-ray diffraction was used in the preparation of electrophoretic microcolumns. And an analytical technique of microcolumn electrophoresis coupled with UV-Vis spectrophotometry was introduced. Uniform quartz microncrystals were prepared by hydrothermal synthesis. Their crystalline phase and morphology were identified by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope, respectively. The quartz microncrystals were packed into a 2-mm i. d. fused-silica tube to prepare the electrophoretic microcolumn. With 1.5 mmol x L(-1) disodium phosphate buffer solution (pH 11.5) containing 25% (phi) methanol and 10% (phi) acetonitrile, tryptophan, phenylalanine and tyrosine were on-line separated on line and detected by microcolumn electrophoresis coupled with UV-Vis spectrophotometry without derivatization. The limits of detection were 0.037, 0.20 and 0.20 micromol x L(-1), respectively. The separation efficiency of tryptophan was 4.5 x 10(4) plates/m. The sample capacity of the electrophoretic microcolumn achieved 35 microL. It was found that the electrophoretic microcolumn packed with quartz microncrystals was able to limit Joule heat, increase sample capacity and enhance detection sensitivity. The laboratory-made electrophoretic microcolumn could be a high-performance separation unit for conventional UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The on-line coupling of microcolumn electrophoresis and UV-Vis spectrophotometry could separate and determine samples with complicated matrices, reduce zone broadening and enhance separation efficiency, so expand the analytical function of spectrophotometer in the trace analysis of mixed components with overlapped spectra.

In-line coupling headspace liquid-phase microextraction with capillary electrophoresis.

An analytical technique of in-line coupling headspace liquid-phase microextraction (HS-LPME) with capillary electrophoresis (CE) was proposed to determine volatile analytes. A special cover unit of the sample vial was adopted in the coupling method. To evaluate the proposed method, phenols were used as model analytes. The parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were investigated, including the configuration of acceptor phase, kind and concentration of acceptor solution, extraction temperature and time, salt-out effect, sample volume, etc. The optimal enrichment factors of HS-LPME were obtained with the sample volume of about half of sample vials, which were confirmed by both the theoretical prediction and experimental results. The enrichment factors were obtained from 520 to 1270. The limits of detection (LODs, S/N=3) were in the range from 0.5 to 1 ng/mL each phenol. The recoveries were from 87.2% to 92.7% and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were lower than 5.7% (n=6). The proposed method was successfully applied to the quantitative analysis of the phenols in tap water, and proved to be a simple, convenient and reliable sample preconcentration and determination method for volatile analytes in water samples.

Design and application of a novel integrated electrochemical hydride generation cell for the determination of arsenic in seaweeds by atomic fluorescence spectrometry.

An integrated electrochemical hydride generation cell, mainly composed of three components (a gas liquid separator, a graphite tube cathode and a reticulate Pt wire anode), was laboratory constructed and employed for the detection of arsenic by coupling to atomic fluorescence spectrometry. This integrated cell was free of ion-exchange membrane and individual anolyte, with the virtues of low-cost, easy assembly and environmental-friendly. Using flow injection mode, the sample throughput could come to 120 h(-1) attributed to the small dimension of the cathode chamber. The operating conditions for the electrochemical hydride generation of arsenic were investigated in detail and the potential interferences from oxygen or various ions were also evaluated. Under the optimized conditions, no obvious oxygen quenching effects were observed. The limit of detection of As (III) for the sample blank solution was 0.2 ng mL(-1) (3sigma) and the relative standard deviation was 3.1% for nine consecutive measurements of 5 ng mL(-1) As (III) standard solution. The calibration curve was linear up to 100 ng mL(-1). The accuracy of the method was verified by the determination of arsenic in the reference materials GBW08517 (Laminaria Japonica Aresch) and GBW10023 (Porphyra crispata) and the developed method was successfully applied to determine trace amounts of arsenic in edible seaweeds.

Electrophoretic separation with 2-mm inner diameter fused-silica microcolumn packed with quartz microncrystals and its application.

The feasibility of a microcolumn electrophoresis technique was investigated with a 100mm length, 2mm I.D. fused-silica microcolumn packed with uniform quartz microncrystals prepared by hydrothermal synthesis. To evaluate the separation technique, tryptophan, phenylalanine and tyrosine were primarily separated by the microcolumn electrophoresis and detected at 216 nm without derivatization by an ordinary spectrophotometer. The separation conditions of the amino acids were optimized. With 1.5 mmol/L disodium phosphate buffer solution (pH 11.5) containing 25% (v/v) methanol and 10% (v/v) acetonitrile, the three amino acids were separated and the separation efficiency of tryptophan was 4.5x10(4)plates/m. The limits of detection were 0.035, 0.22 and 0.20 micromol/L, respectively. The sample capacity of the electrophoretic microcolumn achieved 35 microL. The proposed method was used to determine these amino acids in compound amino acid injection samples without derivatization. For the simplicity and portability of the microcolumn electrophoresis, it is studied as one of the high-performance separation techniques for an in situ and real-time electrokinetic flow analysis system. For its high detection sensitivity and large sample capacity, it can be developed for preparative electrophoresis.

On-line wall-free cell for laser-induced fluorescence detection in capillary electrophoresis.

A wall-free detection method based on liquid junction in a capillary gap was proposed for laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) of capillary electrophoresis (CE). The capillary gap of the wall-free cell was fabricated by etching a 10-mm x 50-microm I.D. fused-silica capillary to obtain a polyimide coating sleeve, decoating about 6mm at one end of both 50 microm I.D. separation and liquid junction capillary, inserting the treated capillary ends into the coating sleeve oppositely, fixing the capillaries with a gap distance of 140 microm by epoxy glue and removing the coating sleeve by burning. The theoretical model, experimental results and wall-free cell images indicated that the gap distance and applied voltage were main influence factors on the wall-free detection. Since the wall-free cell increased the absorption light path and avoided the stray light from the capillary wall, it improved the ratio of signal to noise and limit of detection (LOD) of CE-LIF. Three flavin compounds of riboflavin (RF), flavin mononucleotide sodium (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide disodium (FAD) were used to evaluate the wall-free detection method. Compared with on-column cell, the LODs of the wall-free cell were improved 15-, 6- and 9-fold for RF, FMN and FAD, respectively. The linear calibration concentrations of the flavins ranged from 0.005 to 5.0 micromol/L. The column efficiency was in the range from 1.0 x 10(5) to 2.5 x 10(5) plates. The wall-free detection of CE-LIF was applied to the analysis of the flavins in spinach and lettuce leaves.

On-column liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction coupled with base stacking as a dual preconcentration method for capillary zone electrophoresis.

A simple and efficient dual preconcentration method of on-column liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction (LLLME) coupled with base stacking was developed for capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) in this paper. Four N-methyl carbamates were used as target compounds to evaluate the enrichment means. The carbamates in sample solutions (donor phase) were extracted into a dodecanol phase immobilized on a porous hollow fiber, hydrolyzed and back extracted into 0.20 microL running buffer (acceptor phase) of 30 mmol/L methylamine hydrochloride (pH 11.6) containing 0.5 mmol/L tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide inside the hollow fiber, stacked further with 0.5 mol/L NaOH injected at -10 kV for 60s, and separated by CZE. Analytical parameters affecting the LLLME, base stacking and CZE were investigated, including sample solution volume, pH and temperature, extraction time, stirring rate, buffer component, buffer pH, NaOH concentration, stacking time, etc. The enrichment factors of the carbamates were higher than 1100. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of peak height and limits of detection (LODs) were 4.5-5.5% (n=6) and 2-4 ng/mL (S/N=3) for standard solutions, respectively. The proposed method was applied to the analysis of vegetable and fruit samples with the RSD less than 6.0% (n=3) and LODs of 6-10 ng/g (S/N=3). The calibration solutions were prepared by diluting the stock solutions with blank sample solutions, and the calibration concentrations ranged from 0.012 to 1.0 microg/mL (r>0.9951). The analytical results demonstrated that the LLLME coupled with base stacking was a simple, convenient and reliable on-column sample pretreatment method for the analysis of anionic analytes in CZE.

Determination of kanamycin A, amikacin and tobramycin residues in milk by capillary zone electrophoresis with post-column derivatization and laser-induced fluorescence detection.

An analytical method for kanamycin A, amikacin and tobramycin of aminoglycoside (AG) antibiotics in milk samples was proposed using capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with post-column derivatization and laser-induced fluorescence detection. A simple and convenient homemade coaxial-gap reactor was adopted in the post-column derivatization of the AGs with 1.0 mmol/L naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde and 8.0 mmol/L 2-mercaptoethanol in 35 mmol/L sodium tetraborate buffer (pH 10.0) of 30% (v/v) methanol. 50 mmol/L sodium acetate (pH 5.0) containing 0.5 mmol/L cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide was used as the separation buffer. The linear calibration concentrations and detection limits were from 2.1 x 10(-5) to 5.0 x 10(-2)g/L and in the range of 7 x 10(-6) to 2 x 10(-5)g/L, respectively. The recoveries of the AGs in milk samples were from 81.6 to 93.1% (n=3).

[Determination of cadmium in tobacco using thermospray-chemical vapor generation-AAS system].

A new and sensitive method for the determination of cadmium was developed using thermospray chemical vapor generation AAS system. The sample and KBH4 solutions were introduced into two separate thermospray tubes by peristaltic pumps and then thermosprayed into a reaction tube. The aerosol of the sample and KBH4 were mixed and reacted in the reaction tube, and after gas-liquid separation in a cyclonic spray chamber, the water vapor was removed by a desolvating unit, while the analyte was transferred into the quartz T-cell and determined by AAS. This design improved the stability and sensitivity by thermospray chemical vapor sample introducing technique. The effect of several experimental parameters of the proposed system was optimized. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the detection limits of 18 ng x L(-1) with RSD of 2.1% was obtained for cadmium determination. This method has been successfully applied to the determination of cadmium in tobacco with the recoveries of 94%-103%.

Determination of benzoic acid and sorbic acid in food products using electrokinetic flow analysis-ion pair solid phase extraction-capillary zone electrophoresis.

An electrokinetic flow analysis system (EFA), consisting of one electroosmotic pump, five solenoid valves and one on-line homemade solid phase extraction (SPE) unit, combined with capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was proposed to determine benzoic acid and sorbic acid in food products. Tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) was adopted as an ion pair reagent to improve the retention of the preservatives on C(8)-bonded silica sorbent, which was also used to remove sample matrices. By using the SPE unit, the EFA-SPE-CZE system was able to perform the SPE operation and CZE separation simultaneously. With a modified interface of EFA and CZE, the buffer consumption was reduced to 130 microL for each running. The preservatives were separated and determined under optimized conditions with p-hydroxybenzoic acid as an internal standard. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of peak area for each analyte was less than 3.1% (n=5) and the limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 10 to 20 ngmL(-1) (K=3, n=11).

On-line sample digestion using an electromagnetic heating column for the determination of zinc and manganese in tea leaf by flame atomic absorption spectrometry.

A new on-line sample digestion system using electromagnetic induction heating technique was developed for the determination of zinc and manganese in tea leaf by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The homemade electromagnetic heating column (EMHC), whose effective diameter was about 1mm, was composed of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) outer tube and seven compactly packed PTFE coil-coated iron wires. The pre-digested sample solution was pumped through EMHC and then transferred directly to FAAS for determination. An analytical throughput of 72samplesh(-1) was obtained in the present system. Under optimal condition, the detection limits (3sigma) of zinc and manganese were 4.2mugL(-1) and 3.0mugL(-1), along with relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) of 3.2% and 3.6% respectively for zinc and manganese. Certified reference materials GBW 07602, GBW 07605 and GBW 08505 were analyzed to validate the proposed method, good agreement was achieved between the certified values and the obtained results.

Development of a new electrochemical hydride generator with tungsten wire cathode for the determination of As and Sb by atomic fluorescence spectrometry.

A novel electrochemical hydride generator has been developed for the determination of As and Sb. This newly devised hydride generator is constructed from a flowing electrolytic cell, in which the tungsten wire is selected as cathode. Compared with some cathode material usually used in electrochemical hydride generator, the tungsten cathode is of better interference tolerance, corrosion-resistant and longer working time. The characteristics of the cathode material, hydride generating efficiency and interferences of concomitant have been studied in detail. The detection limits (3sigma) of As and Sb in sample solution were 0.10mugL(-1) and 0.15mugL(-1), the precisions for 11 replicate measurements of 20mugL(-1) As and Sb were 1.3% and 1.7%. The electrochemical hydride generator coupled with atomic fluorescence spectrometry has been applied to the determination of total As and Sb in tobacco samples.

[Determination of cadmium and mercury in tobacco leaves samples by CVAAS].

A new and sensitive method for the determination of cadmium and mercury was developed using nebulous phase reaction, cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS). This design effectively reduces the loss of cadmium and volatile mercury species in aqueous solution and transfer process. The effects of several experimental parameters of the proposed system were optimized. Using the optimized experimental conditions, detection limits of 21 and 8 ng x L(-1) with RSD of 3.2% and 2.9% (n = 11) were obtained for cadmium and mercury, respectively. This method has been successfully applied to the determination of cadmium and mercury in tobacco leaves samples with the recoveries over 92%.

[Determination of lead in human hair using flame atomic absorption spectrometry and nebulization assisted with hydride generation].

Lead in human hair was determined using flame atomic absorption spectrometry and nebulization assisted with hydride generation and K3Fe(CN)6-HCl system. The method is simple and rapid for operation. The performance of the method was compared with conventional flame atomic absorption spectrometry for direct determination of lead. An improved sensitivity by 13.4 fold was obtained compared to the conventional FAAS for direct determination of lead. The effects of several experimental parameters on the lead determination were optimized, and the influences of interference ions on the determination were investigated. The limit of detection (3sigma) of the proposed method was 2.8 microg x L(-1). The method has been applied to the determination of human hair sample satisfactorily with a recovery of 96%-99%.

Electrochromatography with a 2.7 mm inner diameter monolithic column.

Monolithic columns of 2.7 mm I.D. have been prepared and used in electrochromatography (EC) separation. Although capillary electrochromatography (CEC) has higher separation efficiency, it displays some shortcomings, such as limited sample loadability and restricted concentration detectability etc. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of EC separation with millimeter diameter monolithic columns. By using a designed preparation method of monolithic column packed with about 150 microm quartz sand, the effect of Joule heating can be reduced, and the processes of frit making and column packing can be avoided. The concentration detectability of the EC is improved comparing with that of CEC. Moreover, the separation efficiency of 52,000 plates/m was achieved with a 70 mm length and 2.7 mm I.D. monolithic column.

Determination of nitrite by sequential injection analysis of electrokinetic flow analysis system.

A new sequential injection analysis (SIA) method of an electrokinetic flow analysis (EKFA) system for the determination of nitrite-nitrogen is presented in this paper. The proposed system mainly consisted of an electroosmotic pump, two solenoid valves and a spectrophotometer etc. All the pump and valves were controlled by a personal computer automatically. The determination method of nitrite-nitrogen was based on the reaction among nitrite, sulfanilamide and naphthylethylenediamine to form a colored compound, which was measured at 540 nm. The linear calibration range of nitrite-nitrogen was 10-800 mug l(-1). The detection limit was 1 mug l(-1) (K=3, n=11). The analytical method can provide a throughput of 33 samples per h.

Application of Portable Electrokinetic Flow Analysis System for Determination of Chromium (Ⅵ) and Cadmium (Ⅱ) in Mineral Water / 分析化学

The improvement of the electroosmotic pump properties and the effects of the bi-directional electrostacking system on the pre-concentration factor were investigated.A portable electrokinetic flow analysis system with electroosmotic driving and bi-directional electrostacking unit was introduced.The improved system with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry was employed to separate,pre-concentrate and determine Cr(Ⅵ) and Cd(Ⅱ)in mineral water.The detection limit of Cr(Ⅵ)and Cd(Ⅱ)was 9 ng/L and 10 ng/L(3б of blank,n=11),respectively.Their recoveries of 200ng/L Cr(Ⅵ) and 100ng/L Cd(Ⅱ) added to samples were(105～107)±2% and (104～106)±2%(n=3).