Separation of aromatic acids by wide-bore electrophoresis with nanoparticles prepared by electrospray as pseudostationary phase.

A model mixture of six aromatic acids has been separated using a laboratory-made wide-bore electrophoretic device with aminopropyl-modified nanoparticles used as pseudostationary phase. Optimization of preparation of nanoparticles by an electrospray (ES) method is described. With the optimized electrophoretic method, 30 mmol/L acetate running buffer, pH 4.5, containing 1.0 mg/mL of nanoparticles as an additive was used, and 3.0 kV applied potential, improved resolution was achieved. The average theoretical plate number obtained was above 5.0 x 10(4) theoretical plates per meter with the highest value achieved in certain runs exceeding 1.0 x 10(5) theoretical plates per meter, which was better than previously reported results (approximately 6.7 x 10(4) theoretical plates per meter). Furthermore, repeatabilities of 2, 6.5, and 6% were obtained for the migration time, peak areas, and peak height, respectively. Additionally, sample capacity and sensitivity were improved by hundredfold using the novel wide-bore electrophoresis system compared to traditional CE.

Determination of n-octanol-water partition coefficients by hollow-fiber membrane solvent microextraction coupled with HPLC.

A novel direct method has been developed for determination of n-octanol-water partition coefficients by hollow-fiber membrane solvent microextraction (HFMSME) combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The compound of interest is dissolved in water with sonication and a hollow fiber containing octanol inside is placed in the sample solution to perform microextraction. After microextraction the concentrations in both the aqueous and n-octanol phases are analyzed by HPLC with UV detection. The method was evaluated with ten reference compounds and shown to be suitable for determination of the partition coefficients of organic compounds accurately, cheaply, simply, and quickly. Previously unknown n-octanol-water partition coefficients have been obtained for other compounds by use of the hollow-fiber membrane solvent-microextraction technique.