LCGC Europe-05-01-2015

Cigarette smoke is a highly complex matrix and presents analytical difficulties for the analyst performing compound identification by gas chromatography analysis coupled with mass spectrometric detection (GC–MS). The development of a novel trapping system and a modified GC–MS layout (using dual chromatographic columns and cryogenic focusing devices) has improved the chromatographic separation of volatile and semi-volatile compounds found in cigarette smoke. This improvement has led to the potential to identify compounds usually masked by the solvent peak. This approach has also reduced the amount of peak overlapping by increasing the chromatographic peak capacity with the use of two capillary columns chosen for their analytical specificity.

Environmental sample analysis by large-volume injection (LVI) in combination with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS-MS) is described for polar and nonpolar analytes in both aqueous samples and organic extracts.

In this instalment, John Hinshaw reviews gas chromatography (GC) instruments, columns, and accessories that were newly on display at the Pittsburgh Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, during March 2015, or were introduced to the marketplace in the preceding year.

Unexpected results from calibration standards create confusion in a clinical liquid chromatography (LC) method.

The 31st Montreux Symposium on LC–MS and MS–MS will be hosted by the International Association of Environmental Analytical Chemistry (IAEAC) at the Aldershof Convention & Exhibition Centre, Berlin?Aldershof, Germany, on 4–6 November 2015.

This yearly report on new products introduced at Pittcon (or in the preceding year) covers sample preparation instruments.

Here we describe a simple and robust high performance liquid chromatography–diode array detection (HPLC–DAD) method for the simultaneous determination of methotrexate (MTX) and sulphasalazine (SSZ) from plasma. MTX and SSZ are used in combination for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Using two detector wavelengths, 304 nm for MTX and 358 nm for SSZ, we were able to selectively quantitate both analytes during the same chromatographic run. The method was validated using quality control samples for critical analytical performance criteria of recovery, reproducibility, selectivity, accuracy, and precision.

Click the title above to open the LCGC Europe May 2015 regular issue, Vol 28, No 5, in an interactive PDF format.

Click the title above to open the LCGC Europe May 2015 HPLC 2015 Show Guide Supplement, Vol 28, No s5, in an interactive PDF format.