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V Lopez-Avila

Publications and source records attributed to V Lopez-Avila.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Selective trace enrichment by immunoaffinity capillary electrochromatography on-line with capillary zone electrophoresis - laser-induced fluorescence.

Limited by the lack of a sensitive, universal detector, many capillary-based liquid-phase separation techniques might benefit from techniques that overcome modest concentration sensitivity by preconcentrating large injection volumes. The work presented employs selective solid-phase extraction by immunoaffinity capillary electrochromatography (IACEC) to enhance detection limits. A model analyte, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) biotin, is electrokinetically applied to a capillary column packed with an immobilized anti-biotin-IgG support. After selective extraction by the immunoaffinity capillary, the bound analyte is eluted, migrates by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), and is detected by laser-induced fluorescence. The column is regenerated and reused many times. We evaluate the performance of IACEC for selective trace enrichment of analytes prior to CZE. The calibration curve for FITC-biotin bound versus application time is linear from 10 to 300 seconds. Recovery of FITC-biotin spiked into a diluted urinary metabolites solution was 89.4% versus spiked buffer, with a precision of 1.8% relative standard deviation (RSD).

Buffers↗

Cleanup of environmental sample extracts using Florisil solid-phase extraction cartridges.

Disposable cartridges containing 1 g of Florisil are investigated for cleanup of extracts obtained from various environmental matrices. Elution patterns and recoveries are determined for 22 chlorinated hydrocarbons and 16 phthalate esters in the presence of interferents such as corn oil, diesel hydrocarbons, organochlorine pesticides, and chlorinated phenols. Hexane, hexane/diethyl ether (1:1), hexane/acetone (9:1), and various combinations of hexane/methylene chloride are used as eluants.

Chromatography, Gas↗

Determination of volatile priority pollutants in water by purge and trap and capillary column gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Two wide-bore capillary columns are evaluated for their applicability to the purge-and-trap technique and GC/MS analysis of 34 volatile organics. Neither column is able to completely resolve all 34 compounds, as is also typical of the packed column; however, the analysis is faster than with the packed column (18 to 21 min compared to 30 min), and the column effluent is introduced directly into the mass spectrometer without requiring an open-split interface. Method precision, as assessed from the instrument response at a concentration of 50 micrograms/L per component, is better than +/- 5% for 41% of the compounds using the VOCOL column (diphenyl dimethyl polysiloxane with crosslinking moieties) and for 53% of the compounds using the 007 column (95% methyl 5% phenyl silicone). The instrument response is linear from 20 to 200 micrograms/L for most compounds, and the amounts loaded to either column without serious distortion of the peak shape or resolution can be as high as 5 micrograms per component. Because the VOCOL column resolved more compounds than the 007 column within approximately the same analysis time, this column is further tested for performance with groundwater samples.

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry↗

Determination of haloacetic acids in water by ion chromatography--method development.

The microextraction/ion chromatographic (IC) method developed in this study involves extraction of 9 haloacetic acids (HAAs) from aqueous samples (acidified with sulfuric acid to a pH of < 0.5 and amended with copper sulfate pentahydrate and sodium sulfate) with methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), back extraction into reagent water, and analysis by IC with conductivity detection. The separation column consists of an Ion Pac AG-11 (2 mm id x 50 mm length) guard column and an Ion Pac AS-11 (2 mm id x 250 mm length) analytical column, and the concentration column is a 4 mm id x 35 mm length Dionex TAC-LP column. Use of the 2 mm id Dionex AS-11 column improved detection limits especially for trichloracetic acid (TCAA), bromodichloroacetic acid (BDCAA), dibromochloroacetic acid (DBCAA), and tribromoacetic acid (TBAA). The peak interfering with BCAA elutes at the same retention time as nitrate; however, we have not confirmed the presence of nitrate. Stability studies indicate that HAAs are stable in water for at least 8 days when preserved with ammonium chloride at 100 mg/L and stored at 4 degrees C in the dark. At day 30, recoveries were still high (e.g., 92.1-106%) for dichloroacetic acid (DCAA), BCAA, dibromoacetic acid (DBAA), trichloroacetic acid (TCAA), BDCAA, and DBCAA. However, recoveries of monochloroacetic acid (MCAA), monobromoacetic acid (MBAA), and TBAA were only 54.6, 56.8, and 66.8%, respectively. Stability studies of HAAs in H2SO4-saturated MTBE indicate that all compounds except TBAA are stable for 48 h when stored at 4 degrees C in the dark. TBAA recoveries dropped to 47.1% after 6 h of storage and no TBAA was detected after 48 h of storage. The method described here is only preliminary and was tested in only one laboratory. Additional research is needed to improve method performance.

Acetates↗

Supercritical fluid extraction of halogenated monoterpenes from the red alga Plocamium cartilagineum.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of the marine red alga Plocamium cartilagineum, which is known to contain complex mixtures of halogenated monoterpenes, was investigated. P. cartilagineum samples were extracted by SFE with carbon dioxide and modified carbon dioxide containing up to 10% methanol at different pressure and temperature conditions to establish the optimum conditions for extraction. These conditions were then used in the extraction of halogenated monoterpenes from 2 different samples of P. cartilagineum: one from Davenport, CA, and the other from Casa Beach (San Diego, CA). Several halogenated monoterpenes isolated by conventional solvent extraction with methanol and purified by column chromatography were used as the reference compounds for the determination of the extraction efficiency in the SFE experients. Plocamium cartilagineum belongs to the red alga family--Plocamiaceae, and has been found to contain a large number of halogenated monoterpenes, whose structures typically contain 1-6 bromine and/or chlorine atoms. P. cartilagineum grows along the Pacific coast from Washington to Chile, the British Isles, Australia, and Spain. Interestingly, P. cartilagineum collected from different geographical areas in the world are all reported to produce halogenated monoterpenes, but of different structural types and halogen substitution patterns. Most of these halogenated monoterpenes have been found to exhibit varied biological activities, including antifungal, antimicrobial, and molluscicidal activity.

Carbon Dioxide↗

Capillary column gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection for determination of nitrogen- and phosphorus-containing pesticides in finished drinking waters: collaborative study.

A joint U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/AOAC interlaboratory method validation study was conducted on EPA Method 507, Determination of Nitrogen- and Phosphorus-Containing Pesticides in Finished Drinking Water by Gas Chromatography with a Nitrogen-Phosphorus Detector, to determine the mean recovery and precision for analyses of 45 nitrogen- or phosphorus-containing pesticides in reagent water and finished drinking waters. The study design was based on Youden's nonreplicate plan for collaborative tests of analytical methods. The waters were spiked with 45 nitrogen- or phosphorus-containing pesticides at 6 concentration levels, prepared as 3 Youden pairs. Ten volunteer laboratories extracted the spiked test waters with methylene chloride, performed a solvent exchange with methyl tert-butyl ether, and analyzed an aliquot of each extract by gas chromatography using a nitrogen-phosphorus detector. Results were analyzed using an EPA computer program, which measured recovery and precision for each of the 45 pesticides and compared the performance of the method between water types. Method 507 was judged acceptable for all analytes tested except merphos, which thermally decomposed in the injection port of the gas chromatograph. Five compounds (carboxin, disulfoton, metolachlor, pronamide, and simazine) exhibited statistically significant matrix effects for the finished drinking water. The method has been adopted official first action by AOAC.

Calibration↗

Gas chromatographic-electron capture detection method for determination of 29 organochlorine pesticides in finished drinking water: collaborative study.

A joint U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/AOAC interlaboratory method validation study was conducted on EPA Method 508, Determination of Chlorinated Pesticides in Water by Gas Chromatography with an Electron Capture Detector, to determine the mean recovery and precision for analyses of 29 pesticides in reagent water and finished drinking water. The study design was based on Youden's nonreplicate plan for collaborative tests of analytical methods. The waters were spiked with 29 pesticides at 6 concentration levels, as 3 Youden pairs. Eleven volunteer laboratories extracted the spiked test waters with methylene chloride, performed a solvent exchange with methyl tert-butyl ether, and analyzed an aliquot of each extract by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Results were analyzed using an EPA computer program, interlaboratory Method Validation Study (IMVS), which measured recovery and precision for each of the 29 pesticides and compared the performance of the method between water types. Method 508 was judged acceptable for all analytes tested. Only 3 analytes (alpha-chlordane, 4,4'-DDE, and methoxychlor) exhibited practical significant matrix effects. The method has been adopted official first action.

Chromatography, Gas↗

Single-laboratory evaluation of EPA method 8080 for determination of chlorinated pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in hazardous wastes.

Method 8080, as published in the Second Edition of "Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste," EPA Manual SW-846, has been evaluated in a single-laboratory study. The Florisil procedure recommended in Method 8080 for sample cleanup does not separate organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Consequently, gas chromatographic analysis of OCPs on the packed column recommended in the method may result in false identifications or in no identifications at all when PCBs are present. Therefore, silica gel was substituted for Florisil, a capillary column was substituted for the packed column, and a sulfur cleanup procedure was incorporated in the method. The revised method was evaluated with samples spiked at 3 concentrations. Precision and accuracy indicate that the revised method can be reliably applied to the determination of OCPs and PCBs in liquid and solid matrixes. Detection limits for liquid matrixes range from 0.02 to 0.09 micrograms/L for OCPs and from 0.5 to 0.9 micrograms/L for PCBs. Detection limits for solid matrixes range from 1 to 6 micrograms/kg for OCPs and from 60 to 70 micrograms/kg for PCBs.

Chromatography, Gas↗

Gas chromatographic/nitrogen-phosphorus detection method for determination of ethylene thiourea in finished drinking waters: collaborative study.

A joint U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)-AOAC interlaboratory method validation study was conducted on USEPA National Pesticide Survey (NPS) Method 6, "Determination of Ethylene Thiourea (ETU) in Finished Drinking Water by Gas Chromatography with a Nitrogen-Phosphorus Detector." The purpose of the study was to determine and compare the mean recoveries and precision for determination of ETU in reagent water and finished drinking waters. The study design was based on Youden's nonreplicate plan for collaborative tests of analytical methods. The waters were spiked with ETU at 6 concentrations levels, prepared as 3 Youden pairs. In the method, the test water is extracted by passing the sample through an absorbent matrix type tube. ETU is recovered from the tube with methylene chloride, the extract is solvent-exchanged to ethyl acetate, and an aliquot of each extract is analyzed by gas chromatography using a nitrogen-phosphorus detector. Twelve laboratories participated in the study. Data were analyzed using a USEPA computer program, which measured recovery and precision for ETU and compared the performance of the method between the 2 water types. Over the concentration range tested, the mean percent recoveries of ETU were 82-92% in reagent water and 85-98% in finished drinking water. The range of the between-laboratory relative standard deviations (RSDR) for the 6 concentrations was 5-24% in reagent water, but was only 4-9% in finished drinking water. The range of the within-laboratory relative standard deviations (RSDr) was 6-14% for reagent water and 6-10% for finished drinking water. Results for the 2 water matrixes showed no statistically significant differences.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Analysis of Variance↗

Interlaboratory evaluation of an off-line supercritical fluid extraction/infrared spectrometric method for determination of petroleum hydrocarbons in solid matrixes.

A collaborative study was conducted, with 14 laboratories participating, to determine the method accuracy and precision of the proposed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Methods 3560 and 8440. These methods involve the extraction of petroleum hydrocarbons from solid matrixes with supercritical carbon dioxide at 340 atm and 80 degrees C for 30 min (dynamic), collection of the extracted materials in tetrachloroethene (Method 3560), and analysis of the extracts by infrared (IR) spectrometry (Method 8440). The study design was based on the AOAC blind replicate design with balanced replicates. The study samples consisted of 4 solid matrixes that had petroleum hydrocarbon contents ranging from 614 to 32,600 mg/kg. Each of the 4 matrixes was extracted in triplicate, and the extracts were analyzed with 2 different IR spectrometers. In addition, each of the participating laboratories extracted a sample of unspiked clay soil, the same clay soil spiked with corn oil and reference oil at 1000 mg/kg each, and the same clay soil wetted to 30% water content and spiked with motor oil at 10,000 mg/kg (the latter 3 samples were extracted only once). Results indicated that the overall method accuracy for concentrations ranging from 614 to 32,600 mg/kg was 82.9%; the mean recoveries of petroleum hydrocarbons for each of the 4 solid matrixes ranged from 77.9 to 107% for analyses performed with the Perkin-Elmer Fourier transform IR spectrometer and from 75.9 to 101% for analyses performed with the Buck-Scientific IR spectrometer; the differences between the 2 instruments on a sample-by-sample basis were less than 17% for the total petroleum hydrocarbon determinations. The interlaboratory method precisions (RSDR) appeared to be matrix-dependent and ranged from 17.3 to 45.4% for analyses performed with the Perkin-Elmer Fourier transform IR spectrometer and from 16.7 to 47.9% for the Buck-Scientific IR spectrometer. The intralaboratory method precisions (RSDr) appeared to be less matrix-dependent and ranged from 11.5 to 17.0% for analyses performed with the Perkin-Elmer FTIR spectrometer and from 11.1 to 18.2% for the Buck-Scientific IR spectrometer. Method accuracy and precision data are also presented for the 5 laboratories that used Isco supercritical fluid extraction systems and for the 7 laboratories that used vessels with volumes of 3.5 mL or less with different supercritical fluid extraction systems.

Aluminum Silicates↗