Lec 1- Gas Chromatography Flashcards
Constituents of a gas chromatography equipment
- Gas supply => Injector => Oven (column) => Detector => Recorder
Analysis procedures: Sample preparation
- Samples (Blood urine etc) have to be subjected to clean up procedure prior to analysis
Analysis procedures: Derivatisation
- Where considered necessary, the sample can be derivatised with a choice of special reagents to convert it into a more volatile material
Analysis procedures: Injection
- A solution of analyte mixture (1 uL, containing perhaps several hundred ng of materia) is injected onto the GC column via a heat injection port
Analysis procedures: GC separation
- Following volatilisation in the heated injector, the mixture is pushed by a pressurized carrier gas (Usually N2 or He) through the GC column
- Where different compounds are separated depending on their partition between the stationary phase and the mobile carrier gas
Analysis procedures: Detection
- A detector (such as flame ionisation detector) detach each component in the mixture as they emerged from the column
- This information is sent to the recorder
Effect of changing chromatographic parameters:
Column/Oven temperature
- Increase in column/ oven temperature
- Results in Decrease resolution
- And Decreased retention time
- A decrease in Column/ Oven temperature
- Results in Increased resolution
- And Increased retention time
Effects of changing chromatographic parameters
Carrier gas flow rate
- There is an optimum flow rate for each carrier gas used so is unique
Effects of changing chromatographic parameters
Column Length
- Increase in column length
- Results in Increase in resolution
- Increase in retention time
- Decrease in column length
- Results in Decrease in resolution
- Decrease in retention time
Effects of changing chromatographic parameters
Stationary phase loading
- Increase in stationary phase loading
- Results in Increased resolution
- Increased retention time
- Decrease in stationary phase loading
- Results in Decreased resolution
- Decreased retention time
Determination of propranolol in plasma by GC
- Extraction method
- To the sample of 1ml plasma were added 50-100 uL of an aqueous solution of internal standard (Oxprenolol hydrochloride) and 0.1mL of 5M NaOH in a glass-stoppered 10mL centrifuge tube
- The samples were shaken with 5Ml of toluene for 5 minutes and centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 15 minutes
Determination of propranolol in plasma by GC- Extraction
- Why was NaOH added
- What is the purpose of the centrifuge
- What types of materials being removed from the above procedure
- Q1) Why was NaOH added?
- To ensure that both the drug and IS are un the unionised form. Only unionised drug and IS will partition into the organic layer
- Q2) What is the purpose of centrifuge?
- To get rid of emulsion to ensure that no aqueous phase is carried through to the next stage
- Q3) What type of materials being removed from the above procedure?
- Acidic materials were removed
Back extraction method
- The initial toluene phase from the single extraction procedure (3ml) was transferred to a tube containing 1ml 0.2 N H2SO4
- The tube was shaken for 5 minutes and centrifuged
- The acidic aqueous phase was transferred to another tube, make it to alkaline with 5N NaOH and shaken with 3 ml of toluene
- The toluene phase was separated and then evaporated to a small volume (50 uL) with a gentle stream of N2
Q. What is the purpose of the second procedure (back extraction)
- Derivatisation
- To the 50 uL of toluene was added 25 uL of trimethylamine (1M) in toluene and 50 uL TFAA (Trifluoroacetic Anhydride)
- The tube, after being tightly stopped, was heated for 5 min in a 50’C water bath
- After cooling the reaction mixtures were shaken vigorously for 30 seconds with 1 mL of phosphate buffer (pH 6.0) and centrifuged
- Part of the toluene phase (1-5 uL) was taken for electron capture analysis
Q1. Why is derivatisation necessary
Q2. What is the purpose of the addition of trimethylamine
- Q1)Why is the derivatisation necessary?
- Propranolol and oxprenolol have functional groups which are too polar (Not volatile enough) to be analysed directly by GC
- Q2) What is the purpose of the addition of trimethylamine
- It ensures that the amine groups in the drug and IS are not protonated. If they are protonated they will not form the TFA derivative
- Q3) What derivatives would be formed
- Chromatography
- A gas chromatograph equipped with 63Ni Electron-capture detector was used
- A 150cm glass column with an internal diameter of 2mm was pack with 2% OV-17 on re-silanised CHROMOSORB W (80-100 mesh)
- The nitrogen flow rate was 30mL/min and the column was conditioned at 250’C for 72 hours
- The injector temperature was 230’C and the column temperature was 170’C and the detector temperature was 270’C
- The 63Ni detector gave a linear response for quantities ranging from 15-800 pg of propranolol
Q. Why use ECD and what polarity is OV-17
Q. Why was the chromosorb re-silanized and what is the significance of conditioning the column
- Q1) Why use ECD?
- Very high sensitivity, 1pg (picogram)= 10-12 g
- Q2) What polarity is OV 17?
- Medium polarity (In between OV1 (Non-polar) and Carbowax 20 (polar)
- The higher the number after the OV, the more polar the stationary phase
- Q3) Why was the Chromosorb re-silanized?
- To remove the polar silanol (Si-OH) groups on the surface of the support, which can lead to tailing of the analyte peaks
- Q4) What is the significance of conditioning the column
- In order to get a stable baseline. If column bleed is not both at a minimum and very steady trace analysis is impossible