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R E Synovec

Publications and source records attributed to R E Synovec.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Objective data alignment and chemometric analysis of comprehensive two-dimensional separations with run-to-run peak shifting on both dimensions.

Data from comprehensive two-dimensional (2-D) separation techniques, such as comprehensive 2-D gas chromatography (GC x GC), liquid chromatography/liquid chromatography (LC x LC) and liquid chromatography/ capillary electrophoresis (LC x CE) can be readily analyzed by various chemometric methods to increase chemical analysis capabilities. A retention time alignment, preprocessing method is presented that objectively corrects for run-to-run retention time variations on both separation dimensions of comprehensive 2-D separations prior to application of chemometric data analysis algorithms. The 2-D alignment method corrects for run-to-run shifting of a sample data matrix relative to a standard data matrix on both separation time axes in an independent, stepwise fashion. After 2-D alignment, the generalized rank annihilation method (GRAM) is successfully applied, substantiating the performance of the alignment method. The alignment method should have important implications, because most 2-D separation techniques exhibit, in the context of chemometric data analysis, considerable run-to-run retention time shifting on both dimensions. Even when there are only three to four points/peak, that is, with three to four separations on the second dimension (column 2) per peak width from the first dimension (column 1), the 2-D alignment coupled with GRAM provides dependable analyte peak identification capabilities and adequate quantitative precision for unresolved analyte peaks. Thus, the 2-D alignment algorithm is applicable to lower data density conditions, which broadens the scope of chemometric analysis to high-speed 2-D separations.

Journal Article↗

Two-dimensional gas chromatography and trilinear partial least squares for the quantitative analysis of aromatic and naphthene content in naphtha.

Quantitative analysis of naphtha samples is demonstrated using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC x GC) and chemometrics. This work is aimed at providing a GC system for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of complex process streams for process monitoring and control. The high-speed GC x GC analysis of naphtha is accomplished through short GC columns, high carrier gas velocities, and partial chromatographic peak resolution followed by multivariate quantitative analysis. Six min GC x GC separations are analyzed with trilinear partial least squares (tri-PLS) to predict the aromatic and naphthene (cycloalkanes) content of naphtha samples. The 6-min GC x GC separation time is over 16 times faster than a single-GC-column standard method in which a single-column separation resolves the aromatic and naphthene compounds in naphtha and predicts the aromatic and naphthene percent concentrations through addition of the resolved signals. Acceptable quantitative precision is provided by GC x GC/tri-PLS.

Journal Article↗

Increasing the number of analyzable peaks in comprehensive two-dimensional separations through chemometrics.

Comprehensive two-dimensional (2-D) separations are emerging as powerful tools for the analysis of complex samples. The substantially larger peak capacity for a given length of time relative to 1-D separations is a well-known benefit of comprehensive 2-D separation methods. Unfortunately, with complex samples, the probability of peak overlap in 2-D separations is still quite high. This is especially true if one desires to speed up the analysis by reducing the run time and, thus, by reducing the resolving power along the first dimension separation. Chemometric methods hold considerable promise to overcome the limitations brought upon by the likelihood of peak overlap. Thus, chemometric methods should be able to effectively extend the resolving power of 2-D separation methods. In this paper, the theoretical enhancement provided by application of the generalized rank annihilation method (GRAM) for the analysis of unresolved peaks in comprehensive 2-D separations is carefully modeled and critically evaluated. First, Monte Carlo simulations are used to determine the conditions where the use of GRAM results in the successful analysis of unresolved peaks. A wide range of experimental conditions and performance criteria are modeled, typical to many available 2-D separation methods, including analyte/interference peak height ratio, first- and second-dimension resolutions, signal-to noise ratio, injection volume reproducibility, and run-to-run retention time reproducibility. Essentially, a wide range of experimental conditions and performance criteria are found to provide reliable data amenable to GRAM analysis. The information gleaned from this first set of simulations is then used in conjunction with Monte Carlo simulations of comprehensive 2-D separations. For these simulated 2-D separations, the total number of analyzable peaks when using GRAM was determined and found to be substantially better than using only traditional quantitative methods such as peak integration or height. For example, it was determined that the use of GRAM increases the average number of analyzable peaks by a factor of 2 for 2-D separations in which the peak capacity is 67% occupied by randomly distributed peaks. The results of the studies are general, and the use of GRAM should increase the number of analyzable peaks for all forms of comprehensive 2-D separations.

Journal Article↗

Separation and determination of denatured caseins by hydrophobic interaction chromatography Part II. Method validation and applications.

A method recently described for the separation of denatured alpha-, beta- and kappa-caseins by hydrophobic interaction chromatography was validated by the analysis of reference skim milk powder (BCR-063R) certificated for total nitrogen content. The method is based on fast and easy solubilization of commercial and real samples by 4.0 M guanidine thiocyanate and elution on a TSK-Gel Phenyl-5PW column (TosoHaas) in the presence of 8.0 M urea in the mobile phase. No preliminary precipitation or separation of the casein fraction is required. A linear relationship between the concentration of casein and peak area (UV absorbance detector at 280 nm) was obtained over the concentration range 0.5-60 microM. The detection limits for alpha-, beta- and kappa-caseins ranged between 0.30 and 0.65 microM. The precision of the method was evaluated; the relative standard deviation for alpha-, beta- and kappa-casein determination ranged between 2.2 and 2.7% for standard solutions and between 3.5 and 6.2% for real sample solutions. The mean casein content found in 10 aliquots of BCR-063R calculated with respect to the total protein content (estimated on the basis of certified total nitrogen content) was 79.1+/-2.7%. Results of linear fitting of standard additions data for alpha-, beta- and kappa-caseins to BCR-063R were compared with linear fitting of alpha-, beta- and kappa-casein calibration data. The method was applied to commercial caseins and to 31 real, raw samples [processed cow's milk (pasteurised, UHT-treated), follow-up milk powders, cream, cheeses, casein-free infant formulae, cookies for babies containing milk proteins] with the aim of showing the wide applicability of the method in order to determine alpha-, beta- and kappa-caseins.

Animals↗

A Raman waveguide detector for liquid chromatography.

A novel real-time liquid core Raman waveguide detector designed for liquid chromatographic applications is described. The Raman waveguide detector provides enhanced selectivity over typical high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) detectors. The waveguide detector also greatly improves the sensitivity of a typical Raman measurement without resorting to surface enhancement or resonance approaches and is compatible with the typical peak width volumes eluted by microbore and minibore HPLC (packed 1-2-mm-i.d. columns). Detection limit enhancements of over 1000-fold have been achieved for the measurement of alcohols in the aqueous phase with the Raman cell utilizing liquid core waveguide technology. The liquid core waveguides demonstrated in this study were constructed using Teflon AF 2400 tubing with a refractive index of 1.29. The low refractive index of the polymer material allowed HPLC separations with Raman detection to be performed with an aqueous mobile phase. A calibration curve for aqueous solutions of 2-propanol was generated and a limit of detection (LOD) of 2 ppm was determined. The Raman waveguide detector is demonstrated for the HPLC analysis of alcohol test mixtures, with LODs in the low-ppm range at the detector. By coupling the temporal separation achieved by HPLC with the vibrational information gleaned from Raman detection, an information-rich multivariate data matrix is obtained that can be deconvoluted to provide chemical speciation even when the HPLC resolution is poor. In this paper, we will discuss the physical and optical design of the Raman waveguide detector and the demonstration of the detector for HPLC detection.

2-Propanol↗

Whole-column radioactivity detection: simultaneous separation and enhanced detectability.

The development of a whole-column radiation detector for measurement and separation of low amounts of beta emitting analytes is described. The design of this detector is unique with all of the chromatography media located within the detector volume. This whole-column design provides the advantage of increased radiation signal without loss of chromatographic efficiency, which translates to increased detectability. This increase was compared theoretically with flow-through radiation detection, and the theory was tested experimentally. Using two analytes, carbon-11-labeled m-hydroxyephedrine and alpha-methylepinephrine, only 3 and 8 Bq (80 and 220 pCi), respectively, were needed to obtain a 10% coefficient of variation using whole-column detection. For [11C]-m-hydroxyephedrine, 100 times more radioactivity was required to achieve the same coefficient of variation using flow-through detection. A limit of detection (LD) for the analytes of 2 Bq (54 pCi) was obtained for whole-column detection, an improvement of 50 in LD compared with flow-through detection. Signal improvement increased linearly with the chromatographic resolution. The whole-column detection method is robust and applicable to many chromatographic separations.

Carbon Radioisotopes↗

High speed liquid chromatography of phenylethanolamines for the kinetic analysis of [11C]-meta-hydroxyephedrine and metabolites in plasma.

A method is developed and described for analysis of [11C]-meta-hydroxyephedrine, [11C]MHED, a tracer of cardiac function, and its metabolites in plasma samples. The method combines on-column solid-phase extraction and separation on a single weak cation-exchange column. Phenylethanolamines were used to develop the separation method that concentrates the analytes on-column from physiological saline and then elutes them by changing to an acidic mobile phase. Hydrophobic interactions determine the selectivity, and elution order is the same as for reversed-phase liquid chromatography on a C1 stationary phase. The mechanism of separation is mixed mode, with ion-exchange coupled with a reversed-phase liquid chromatography mechanism. Each sample analysis requires only 10 min and does not require deproteinization or the use of organic solvents. In human samples, a single plasma metabolite of [11C]MHED along with the parent compound were observed using this method. The method was sufficiently rapid so that in 70 min seven samples were assayed, providing a well-defined time course for MHED and its metabolites in blood. The metabolite concentration increased with time to approximately 85% of the plasma activity 50 min after administration. The results with the developed method are comparable to those described for reversed-phase separations, with the advantage that our method does not require deproteinization, reducing sample analysis time by a factor of two.

Carbon Radioisotopes↗

Microbore liquid chromatography and refractive index gradient detection of low-nanogram and low-ppm quantities of carbohydrates.

A refractive index gradient detector is presented as a universal detector in the microbore high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of carbohydrates. Simultaneously, low-ng and low-ppm injected quantities of carbohydrates were detected at the 3 x root-mean-square baseline noise level. A typical microbore high-performance liquid chromatography chromatogram separating fructose from sucrose followed by refractive index gradient (RIG) detection is reported. Use of a position sensitive detector (PSD) in the RIG detector design is reported and experimental considerations discussed. Optimization of the PSD-based RIG detector is addressed. Potential for the device in industrial and clinical applications is considered.

Carbohydrates↗